Sotheby’s finishes up the short London season for photography with an eclectic single owner sale drawn from the dealer/collector Eric Franck. The good news is that the sale offers a selection of work that is rarely seen at auction these days, with plenty of lesser known European names. The perhaps less good news, at least for the consignor, is that given the obscurity of some of the images/artists, bargain hunters will likely be rewarded. Collectors interested in Henri Cartier-Bresson should pay close attention, as there are 32 prints available by the artist. Overall, there are a total of 119 lots available in the sale, with a Total High Estimate of £986000.
Here’s the statistical breakdown:
| Preview Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including £5000) | 60 |
| Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) | £209000 |
| Total Mid Lots (high estimate between £5000 and £25000) | 53 |
| Total Mid Estimate | £542000 |
| Total High Lots (high estimate above £25000) | 6 |
| Total High Estimate | £235000 |
The top photography lot by High estimate is lot 50, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Barcelona, Spain, 1933/1946, estimated at £40000-60000 (image above, via Sotheby’s).
Here’s the complete list of photographers with three or more lots in the sale, along with the number of lots on offer:
| Multiple Lots For Sale | |
|---|---|
| Henri Cartier-Bresson | 32 |
| Josef Koudelka | 6 |
| Yoshiyuki Iwase | 4 |
| Alvin Langdon Coburn | 3 |
| Martine Franck | 3 |
| Gyula Holics | 3 |
| Dora Maar | 3 |
| Antanas Sutkus | 3 |
Other lots of interest include (images above, via Sotheby’s):
Lot 93, Josef Koudelka, Portugal, 1976/later, estimated at £18000-23000
Lot 101, Graham Smith, Who She Wanted and What She Got, South Bank, Middesbrough, 1982/2008, estimated at £4000-6000
Lot 111, Gyula Holics, Redoubled Bottle, c1955, estimated at £3000-4000
The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.
