Christie’s sales of Photographs and Richard Avedon on 4-5 October achieved a combined total of $7,793,000/ £4,831,660/ €6,000,610, selling 73% by lot and 80% by value. The top lot was Peter Beard’s Orphan Cheetah Triptych, 1968, which realized $662,500, setting a new world auction record for the artist.
 
Philippe Garner, Christie’s International Director of 20th Century Decorative Art & Photographs, and the sale’s auctioneer commented: “I am very pleased with the outcome of the Fall Photographs Sales, which yielded enthusiastic bidding throughout both sales over two days. I am particularly encouraged by the results achieved by Peter Beard’s Orphan Cheetah Triptych, 1968 which set a world auction record for the artist when it achieved $662,500, over four times its high estimate.” 
Deborah Bell, Christie’s Specialist Head of Photographs, Americas, remarked:  “We are pleased to conclude the fall Photograph sales in New York with a solid sold percentage achieved over two days of sales with both the dedicated sale of Richard Avedon – Photographs, which realized $1,517,250, and the various owners sale of Photographs, confirming the continual growth of the photographs market. Peter Turnley’s collection of Gifts to a Master Printer: Photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson achieved $505,625, underscoring the global demand for works by this esteemed artist and the positive impact of an impeccable provenance.”

Gilles Decamps