On December 13 at Sotheby’s, the sale A Show Of Hands: Photographs from The Collection of Henry Buhl concluded, bringing a total of $12,318,704. The total is the third highest for a single-owner collection of photographs and the highest ever for a private collection of photographs. Following the sale’s results, all of the seven highest single-owner auctions in this category have been conducted at Sotheby’s. These include photographs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including works from the Gilman Paper Company Collection in 2006, which holds the record for an institutional photographs collection; and photographs from the Polaroid collection, which realized the highest total for a corporate collection of photographs in 2010.
Denise Bethel, head of Sotheby’s photographs department, commented, “The exceptional result of this sale is a testament to the skill and discernment of Henry Buhl †a visionary collector and philanthropist. Bidders from around the world competed fiercely for the very best examples of classic images from the first half of the Twentieth Century, with pieces by Herbert Bayer, László Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray selling for multiples of their high estimates.”
The auction was led by “Lonely Metropolitan” by Herbert Bayer and “Fotogramm” by László Moholy-Nagy, each of which sold for $1,482,500. These two results, which now tie as the third highest price for a classic photograph at auction, mean that Sotheby’s has sold eight of the top ten and all of the top six classic photographs at auction. Other highlights included “Rayograph with Hand, Lens, and Egg” by Man Ray, which fetched $866,500, well over the $250/350,000 estimate and Alfred Stieglitz’s “Georgia O’Keeffe ⁈ands and Thimble,” which sold for $770,500.
The Buhl collection, one of the world’s most significant privately owned photograph collections, is made up of images exploring the theme of the human hand and was put together by the visionary philanthropist and collector Henry M. Buhl. The majority of the proceeds will benefit the Buhl Foundation, which enhances the quality of life of underprivileged individuals by supporting education, the homeless and the arts.
All prices reported include the buyer’s premium. For information, 212-606-7000 or www.sothebys.com .
