Swann Auction Galleries  Fine Photographs:
Celebrating 70 Years of Photographs at Swann
February 10
104 East 25th Street NYC
SWANNGALLERIES.COM

NEW YORK CITY — 70 years ago, Swann Galleries conducted the first auction dedicated to photography in the United States. This 1952 auction was astonishingly early for a sale devoted to a medium just 113 years old and still finding its artistic footing in the marketplace. Seven decades later, however, the landscape for this diverse and innovative medium has grown dramatically. On Thursday, February 10, Swann will conduct a sale of photographs marking this achievement. The sale will celebrate the history of the market for photography at auction while exploring the medium’s future.
Early work includes Charles Marville’s “Rue des Déchargeurs, de la Rue de Rivoli circa 1865 ($6/9,000); Carleton Watkins’s “The Pavilion on the Stump, Calaveras Grove,” 1878–81 ($8/12,000); and Julia Margaret Cameron’s “Baby Blossom (Alice Keown),” circa 1866 ($15/25,000). Alfred Stieglitz’s Camera Work Number 36, 1911 ($18/22,000) and Edward Curtis’s “Three Chiefs, Blackfoot, Mountain,” 1900 ($6/9,000), showcase two early masters of photography as well as the medium’s rise as an art form.

American photography features a run of Civil Rights imagery by Danny Lyon, including “SNCC Staff Sit-In, Atlanta, John Lewis behind Mendy Samstein (+ the Pastries), Stokely Carmichael Standing at Right,” 1963-64, together with “The Movement,” 1969 ($10/15,000), as well as images from “Ole Miss, the March on Washington” and “James Baldwin in Selma, Alabama.” Robert Frank is present with two early masterworks: “Cafe, Beaufort, South Carolina,” 1955 ($20/30,000), and “Los Angeles,” 1956 ($25/35,000), both from The Americans (also available, at $1,5/2,500). Further documentary photographs include works by Gordon Parks, Dorothea Lange, Lewis W. Hine and Walker Evans, among others.

Also of note from midcentury American photographers include Ansel Adams’ “Oak Tree, Snowstorm, Yosemite Valley,” 1948, a stunning print seemingly used as the master for his “Portfolio I” ($20/30,000), as well as “Evening Clouds, Sierra Nevada,” 1936, printed 1963-70 ($12/18,000), Robert Adams’ “Entry, Methodist Church, Calhan, Colorado,” 1966, printed circa late 1960s ($10/15,000). A rare vintage example of Helen Levitt’s dynamic photograph of boys playing on city streets New York (Foreign Legion), 1940; printed 1940s ($25/35,000) — the cover image to her iconic “A Way of Seeing” is on offer alongside Diane Arbus’ “Female Impersonator with Jewels, N.Y.C.,” printed and signed by Arbus 1958-60 ($25/35,000); and O. Winston Link’s “Hotshot Eastbound, Iaeger, West Virginia,” 1957, printed 1987 ($7/10,000). Also offered will be works by Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, George A. Tice, Stephen Shore and Margaret Bourke-White.

European stalwarts include Henri Cartier-Bresson with “Nankin (Nanjiing),” 1949 ($6/9,000), and “Seville, Spain,” 1933, printed 2002 ($8/12,000); André Kertész is on offer with “Martinique,” 1972, printed circa 1978 ($10/15,000); and Josef Koudelka with “Rakusky,” 1964, printed 1980s ($10/15,000). Images by Brassaï, Robert Doisneau and Josef Sudek also feature.

Contemporary highlights are led by Sally Mann’s untitled (Self-Portraits), a 2011 triptych of three unique ambrotypes on black glass ($30/45,000). Also of note is Barbara Kasten’s “Construction 33,” 1986, and “Construct LB/3” ($5/7,500, apiece); Masahisa Fukase’s “Nayoro,” from “The Solitude of Ravens,” 1977, printed 1980s ($10/15,000); and Carrie Mae Weems’s “May Flowers,” 2002 ($6/9,000). Further contemporary work includes early work by Katy Grannen, color photography by Richard Misrach and Sandy Skoglund, Cindy Sherman self-portraits and more.

Photobooks and portfolios of note include Emmet Gowin’s early book with photographs Concerning America and Alfred Stieglitz, and Myself, 1963-64, printed 1965 ($8/12,000); a suite of ten abstract expressionist photographs by Aaron Siskin from 1949-80, printed circa 1980. ($10/15,000); Berenice Abbott’s “Berenice Abbott’s New York,” a complete portfolio with 12 of Abbott’s iconic New York City views ($20/30,000); and Lisette Model’s “Twelve Photographs,” a complete 1937-46 portfolio with 12 silver prints from an edition of 15 proof copies, printed 1977 ($12/18,000).

Exhibition hours are noon to 5 pm on weekdays, February 7-9. Swann Galleries staff will prepare condition reports and provide additional photographs of material on request. Advance order bids can be placed with a specialist for the sale or on Swann’s website, and phone bidding will be available. For information, www.swanngalleries.com or 212-254-4710.

212 254 4710
Upcoming Auctions
FEB 17 Fine Books & Autographs
FEB 24 Vintage Posters
Steve Jobs, Time magazine cover signed, Cupertino, March 1982. Estimate $15,000 to $25,000. At auction February 17.
Ansel Adams, Oak Tree, Snowstorm, Yosemite Valley, silver print, 1948. Estimate $20,000 to $30,000. At auction February 10.
André Lecomte, Mürren / Schweiz, 1931. Estimate $4,000 to $6,000. At auction February 24.
Dawn Powell, Whither, first edition, Boston, 1925. Estimate $6,000 to $9,000. At auction February 17.