The 2016 spring auction season for photography opens in New York at the beginning of April, with Sotheby’s leading off with its various owner Photographs sale on the 3rd. Headlined by a vintage Man Ray rayograph, the sale touches most of the usual bases, with fewer standout gems than in last year’s sales and substantially less overall consigned value than its competitors. The work of Helmut Newton reappears frequently, interspersed with notable prints by Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, Robert Adams, Garry Winogrand, and others. Overall, there are a total of 152 lots available in the sale, with a Total High Estimate of $3506500.
Here’s the statistical breakdown:
| Preview Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000) | 70 |
| Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) | $558500 |
| Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000) | 70 |
| Total Mid Estimate | $1678000 |
| Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000) | 12 |
| Total High Estimate | $1270000 |
The top lot by High estimate is lot 42, Man Ray, Rayograph, 1924, estimated at $250000-350000 (image above, via Sotheby’s).
Here’s the complete list of photographers with four or more lots in the sale, along with the number of lots on offer:
| Multiple Lots For Sale | |
|---|---|
| Helmut Newton | 10 |
| Ansel Adams | 9 |
| Sally Mann | 8 |
| Robert Frank | 6 |
| Edward Weston | 6 |
| Robert Mapplethorpe | 5 |
| Irving Penn | 5 |
| Harry Callahan | 4 |
| Henri Cartier-Bresson | 4 |
| Hiroshi Sugimoto | 4 |
Other lots of interest include (images above, via Sotheby’s):
Lot 10, Ansel Adams, Yosemite Valley from Inspiration Point, Winter, Yosemite National Park, c1940/1950s, estimated at $40000-60000
Lot 57, Robert Frank, London (Hearse), 1951/later, estimated at $60000-80000
Lot 83, Garry Winogrand, World’s Fair N.Y.C., 1964, estimated at $20000-30000
Lot 84, Robert Adams, Longmont, Colorado, 1979/1989, estimated at $40000-60000
Lot 92, Richard Avedon, Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent, Los Angeles, California, 1981, estimated at $60000-90000
Lot 132, Helmut Newton, Woman Examining Man, U.S. Vogue, St. Tropez, 1975/1981, estimated at $40000-60000
The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.
