Iconic images by some of the 20th century’s most notable photographers, including Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Diane Arbus, are expected to fetch as much as $14.8 million when they are offered in a series of auctions next month.
On April 11, Christie’s is holding a sale devoted entirely to Adams’ photographs. The 122 lots from a California collection represent works from throughout the artist’s career, including “Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite, 1944,” which has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000.
The entire collection is expected to bring $3 million to $5 million.
Also that day, the auction house will offer a range of 20th-century photographs by such artists as Edward Weston, Irving Penn, Dorthea Lange and Robert Mapplethorpe.
Two Penn masterpieces are expected to bring up to $300,000 and $350,000, respectively. They are “Black and White Vogue Cover, 1950,” and a 1948 platinum-palladium print titled “Cuzco Children.”
A day earlier, Christie’s will offer 51 lots by Arbus, including “Boy with a straw hat waiting to march in pro-war parade, NYC, 1967” expected to fetch $25,000 to $35,000, and “Girl in a watch cap, NYC, 1965,” with a $20,000 to $30,000 estimate.