This selection of photographs made using alternative processes and techniques was drawn from the booths at Paris Photo 2023. For further background on how and why this “collection” was formed, and the structure of the resulting slideshow, visit the introductory page (here). This collection consists of 20 works featuring alternative processes and techniques made between roughly 1930 and the present. There were so many worthy options for inclusion in this collection that another 10 or even 20 works could easily been added without sacrificing much in the way of quality, but the curatorial limits of this exercise were fixed in ... Read more at Collector Daily.

In 2019, we reported the results from 51 auctions from around the world, providing data on a wide range of specialist photography and photobook sales as well as contemporary art auctions that included a significant percentage of photographic lots. In the slideshow below, the top ten highest priced photography lots sold at auction in 2019 are shown in descending price order, with image details, pre-sale estimates, realized prices, and venues/dates as background (images courtesy of Phillips, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Grisebach, in varying sizes). While it is altogether possible that there were photographs (or sets of photographs) in other secondary auctions that ... Read more at Collector Daily.

When in checked into my hotel room after arriving from New York on the overnight flight to Paris earlier this week, the usually standard note from the general manager welcoming me had a surprisingly relevant and appropriate message. It read: “I’m looking for the unexpected. I’m looking for things I’ve never seen before.” And the speaker of this quote was apparently Robert Mapplethorpe. Was this just a strange coincidence, or did my hotel actually prepare for the photo people coming to town for Paris Photo? Whatever the case, that inspirational words provided a seemingly straightforward way to think about (and ... Read more at Collector Daily.

The results of the various owner Photographs sale at Sotheby’s last week were relatively uneventful. The top lot El Lissitzky print sold within its estimate, and the overall Buy-In rate came in at roughly 30%. With a handful of positive surprises, the Total Sale Proceeds were just over $4M, a shade higher than the low end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.... Read more at Collector Daily.

Led by a 1924 El Lissitzky self portrait (a gelatin silver print of the original collage) that soared to a new world record for the artist, the results from Christie’s recent Masterpieces of Design & Photography sale in London were solid. With a low Buy-In rate (under 15%) and nearly 60% of the universally high priced lots finding buyers above their estimate ranges, the Total Sale Proceeds for photography came in near the top end of the aggregate pre-sale range.... Read more at Collector Daily.

While the Modern and Contemporary Photographs sale at Grisebach in Berlin later this week hits its usual marks in terms of lower priced European material, a handful of standouts from Albert Renger-Patzsch and Karl Blossfeldt and rarities from El Lissitzky and Umbo help to keep things fresh. Overall, there are a total of 209 lots on offer in this auction, with a Total High Estimate of €726000.... Read more at Collector Daily.

JTF (just the facts): A group show containing 110 black and white photographs by 13 different photographers, variously framed and matted, and hung against light yellow walls in a series of 3 divided rooms. The prints were made between 1923 and 1939, and are supplemented by books and magazines shown in vitrines. The exhibit was organized by Susan Tumarkin Goodman and Jens Hoffman. A catalog of the the exhibit has been published by the museum and Yale University Press (here) and is available in the bookshop (here) for $45. The following artists/photographers have been included in the exhibit, with number of ... Read more at Collector Daily.

The results of the recent Photographs sale at Phillips in London generally met expectations. The overall Buy-In rate was over 30%, but a large number of positive surprises and decent performance by the top lots helped push the Total Sale Proceeds right into the middle of the estimate range.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 188
Pre Sale Low Total Estimate: £1177100
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: £1627600
Total Lots Sold: 125
Total Lots Bought In: 63
Buy In %: 33.51%
Total Sale Proceeds: £1420438

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 82
Low Sold: 49
Low Bought In: 33
Buy In %: 40.24%
Total Low Estimate: £279100
Total Low Sold: £189125

Mid Total Lots: 97
Mid Sold: 69
Mid Bought In: 28
Buy In %: 28.87%
Total Mid Estimate: £980500
Total Mid Sold: £920413

High Total Lots: 9
High Sold: 7
High Bought In: 2
Buy In %: 22.22%
Total High Estimate: £368000
Total High Sold: £310900

The top lot by High estimate was lot 94, Leni Riefenstahl, Nuba Portfolio, 2002, at £60000-80000; it was also the top outcome of the sale at £85250.

97.60% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range. There were a total of 12 surprises in this sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate).

Lot 5, Albert Watson, Yvette, Berlin, 7th July, 1990, at £5000
Lot 46, Stephen Shore, Beverly Boulevard and LaBrea Avenue, Los Angeles, California, June 21, 1975/Later, at £16250 (image at right, bottom, via Phillips)
Lot 65, Robert Frank, New York City, 1947/Later, at £37250
Lot 88, Josef Koudelka, Invasion by Warsaw Pact Troops, Prague, August, 1968/2008, at £13750 (image at right, middle, via Phillips)
Lot 96, Nick Brandt, Elephants Resting, Amboseli, 2007, at £17500
Lot 111, El Lissitzky, Hans (Jean) Arp, 1924, at £55250 (image at right, top, via Phillips)
Lot 112, Alexander Rodchenko, Rodchenko Museum Series Portfolio #2: Portraits, Various/Later, at £32450
Lot 115, Irving Penn, Alfred Hitchcock, New York, May 23, 1947/Early, at £51650
Lot 117, Norman Parkinson, Pamela Minchin, Isle of Wight for Harper’s Bazaar, 1939/Later, at £6875
Lot 138, Dan Holdsworth, Blackout 08, 2010, at £23750
Lot 173, Christer Strömholm, Lago di Maggiore, 1950, at £10625
Lot 184, Toni Schneiders, Untitled, December, 1956, at £3000

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Phillips De Pury & Company
Howick Place
London SW1P 1BB