Other than the fact that there are 25 lots of Ansel Adams photographs in this sale and that putting such a large concentration of works by a single photographer into the various owner sale might be distracting, it’s not at all clear why this particular group of photographs merits its own standalone sale. Two large scale murals lead the offerings, with a supporting mix of mid range and lesser known Adams material, but the works don’t appear to have come from a single owner or coalesce around any specific theme. Overall, they come in with a Total High Estimate of $1939000.
Here’s the statistical breakdown:
| Preview Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000) | 0 |
| Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) | $0 |
| Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000) | 17 |
| Total Mid Estimate | $459000 |
| Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000) | 8 |
| Total High Estimate | $1480000 |
The top lot by High estimate is lot 6, Ansel Adams, Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine, California, 1941/1961, estimated at $300000-500000 (image above, left, via Christie’s).
Other lots of interest include lot 12, Ansel Adams, Cedar Tree, Cliffs, Yosemite Valley, 1939/1970-1975, estimated at $100000-150000 (image above, middle, via Christie’s), and lot 21, Ansel Adams, Flower and Half Dome (Variant), 1950s, estimated at $10000-15000 (image above, right, via Christie’s).
The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.
Contemporary Gurskys and Hofers look remarkably similar in approach to Adams’ ‘Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada’. I guess the imposingly formal (even when applied to the everyday subject) has come to act as shorthand for artistic professionalism – especially when printed ‘painting size’ it’s a kind of reassurance. It’s so pervasive a style that in twenty-thirty years there’s going to be a whole lot of work that will just look incredibly OCD and only get attention in auctions from completists and fans who are unable to afford them today. It could/will all date very quickly. Maybe it has already, judging by a lot of Loring’s reviews lately.