The Richard Avedon Foundation is raising a little money by selling some of its holdings for the first time, according to Carol Vogel. The sale will take place in Paris in November:
For sale will be a selection spanning Avedon’s entire career, from the late 1940s until his death, including fashion photographs and portraiture. Among the highlights will be the largest existing print of the famous photo “Dovima With Elephants, Evening Dress by Dior, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris,” which is estimated at $500,000 to $700,000. “This print hung in his Manhattan studio for years,” said Joshua Holdeman, an expert in 20th-century art at Christie’s.
There also will be portraits for sale, of Marilyn Monroe (estimated at $100,000 to $150,000), Brigitte Bardot ($70,000 to $90,000), Picasso ($40,000 to $60,000) and Francis Bacon ($80,000 to $120,000). Also on the block will be a set of four images of the Beatles taken in London in 1967, estimated at $300,000 to $500,000 for the group. “These are color dye-transfer prints,” Mr. Holdeman said. “They are the psychedelic portraits of each of the Beatles.” Another set of these prints brought a record price for the photographer at auction when it sold at Christie’s in New York in 2005 for $464,000.
Inside Art: Avedon Auction in Paris (New York Times)
