Auction
Christie's Paris, Irving Penn: Novembre 12th, 7pm
Lot 201 IRVING PENN (1917-2009) Corset Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, New York, 1994 PLATINUM-PALLADIUM PRINT MOUNTED ON ALUMINIUM; PRINTED IN 1996. SIGNED, INITIALED, TITLED, DATED, INSCRIBED AND NUMBERED IN PENCIL, COPYRIGHT CREDIT REPRODUCTION LIMITATION AND 'HAND-COATED BY THE PHOTOGRAPHER' STAMPS ON THE REVERSE OF THE MOUNT. Est.: € 20.000-30.000 ©Condé Nast publications INC
Lot 204 IRVING PENN (1917-2009) Butchers, Paris, 1950 PLATINUM-PALLADIUM PRINT, PRINTED 1976; SIGNED, DATED, TITLED, INSCRIBED AND NUMBERED IN PENCIL, COPYRIGHT CREDIT REPRODUCTION LIMITATION AND PHOTOGRAPHER STAMPS ON THE VERSO. Est.: € 20.000-30.000 ©Condé Nast publications INC
Lot 210 IRVING PENN (1917-2009) Poppy: Glowing Embers, New York, 1968 DYE TRANSFER PRINT; PRINTED IN 1989; SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED ON THE VERSO; CONDÉ NAST COPYRIGHT CREDIT REPRODUCTION LIMITATION AND DATE STAMPS ON THE VERSO. Est.: € 70.000-100.000 ©The Irving Penn foundation
Lot 214 IRVING PENN (1917-2009) Three Rissani Women with Bread, Morocco, 1971 GELATIN SILVER PRINT SELENIUM TONED MOUNTED ON CARDBOARD, PRINTED 1984; SIGNED, INITIALED, TITLED, DATED AND NUMBERED, COPYRIGHT CREDIT REPRODUCTION LIMITATION AND EDITION STAMP ON THE REVERSE OF THE MOUNT. Est.: € 25.000-35.000 ©The Irving Penn foundation
Lot 230 IRVING PENN (1917-2009) Truman Capote (Kneeling on Chair), New York, 1948 GELATIN SILVER PRINT, PRINTED 1948; PHOTOGRAPHER AND CONDÉ NAST COPYRIGHT CREDIT REPRODUCTION LIMITATION STAMPS ON THE VERSO. 25.3 x 20.1 cm. (10 x 7 15/16 in.) Est. € 10.000-15.000 ©The Irving Penn foundation
IRVING PENN (1917-2009) Harlequin Dress (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn), 1950 PLATINUM-PALLADIUM PRINT MOUNTED ON ALUMINIUM, PRINTED 1979; SIGNED,TITLED, DATED AND NUMBERED IN PENCIL, COPYRIGHT CREDIT REPRODUCTION LIMITATION AND EDITION STAMPS ON THE REVERSE OF THE MOUNT. Est. € 200.000-300.000 ©Condé Nast Publications INC
Lot 201 IRVING PENN (1917-2009) Corset Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, New York, 1994 PLATINUM-PALLADIUM PRINT MOUNTED ON ALUMINIUM; PRINTED IN 1996. SIGNED, INITIALED, TITLED, DATED, INSCRIBED AND NUMBERED IN PENCIL, COPYRIGHT CREDIT REPRODUCTION LIMITATION AND 'HAND-COATED BY THE PHOTOGRAPHER' STAMPS ON THE REVERSE OF THE MOUNT. Est.: € 20.000-30.000 ©Condé Nast publications INC
Following the 17h auction, Christie’s offers a unique selection of Irvin Penn’s photographs from a private French collection. The 51 prints by Penn constitute the largest selection of work by the photographer to be sold at auction in Europe. At an estimated value of 1.6 million euros, a percentage of the sale profits will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.
The selection includes several subjects captured by Penn over the course of his career. First, the “odd jobs” photographed in Paris, London and New York in the 1950s: “Butchers” Paris 1950 (est. 20,000 - 30,000€), “Cleaning Women”, London (est. 20,000 - 30,000€) and “Deep Sea Diver”, New York, 1951 (est. 15,000 - 25,000€).
From 1948 to 1971, his voyages to photograph the natives of Cuzco in Bénin, then India, Nepal, New Guineau and Morocco... It is in this series that we find “Cuzco Children”, Cuzco, 1948, which set the sales record for Irving Penn’s work, $529,000, at Christie’s New York in April 2008. “Running Children”, Morocco, 1952 (est. 20,000 - 30,000€), “Three Asaro Mud Men” New Guinea, 1970 (est. 30,000 - 50,000€).
This private collection also offers several portraits of celebrities. Marlène Dietrich, New York, 1948 (est. 20,000 - 30,000€), Jean Cocteau, Paris, 1949 (est. 8,000 - 12,000€), Truman Capote (Kneeling on chair), New York, 1948 (est. 10,000 - 15,000€).
In a related field, we see in his fashion photography how important a role his models’ personality played. There are prints of his wife, Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn, posing in a Moroccan palace in 1951 (est. 200,000 - 300,000€) and his famous photograph “Harlequin Dress” (the cover photo of the catalogue) 1950 (est. 200,000€ and 300,000€). These two prints set the third and fourth highest prices paid for the photographer’s work at auction.
Also up for auction are a few of Penn’s famous still lifes. “Italian Still Life” (B), New York, 1981 (est. 20,000 - 30,000€).
This auction is the latest in a series of important photography sales dedicated to a single artist, in New York, London and Paris since 2010.
Bernard P. PERRINE - Bernard.Perrine1@orange.fr
CHRISTIE’S SALE
IRVING PENN PHOTOGRAPHY
from a private French collection
Saturday, November 12, 2011, at 7pm
Christie's
9 avenue Matignon
75008 Paris
+33 (0)1 40 76 85 85
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Monday, November 7th to Friday, November 11th, 10am - 6pm
Catalogue, Order Forms, Christie's Live
Links
Contributors