Photography Collection Wows Market – artmarketblog.com

Photography Collection Wows Market – artmarketblog.com

Photo by Erwitt, Winogrand (estimate: $5,000-7,000),

The Constantiner Collection of Photographs went under the hammer on the 16th and 17th of December at Christie’s New York. A total of US$7,721,875 against an estimate of US$7.5 million to US$11 million represented a very successful sale especially considering that the collection achieved the highest total for a single owner dedicated photographs sale at Christie’s. As I have reported in previous posts, a trend has become evident in recent months where sales of single owner collections are achieving extremely good results both in terms of the percentage of works being sold and the total value of works sold.  The results of the Constantiner Collection suggest that this trend is continuing.  To read an explanation of this trend see these posts:

Single Owner Art Auctions Defy Downturn – artmarketblog.com
http://artmarketblog.com/2008/12/15/single-owner-art-auctions-defy-downturn-artmarketblogcom/

Single-Owner Art Sale Success Part 2 – artmarketblog.com
http://artmarketblog.com/2008/12/17/single-owner-art-sale-success-part-2-artmarketblogcom/

Included in the sale of the collection which was assembled by Leon and Michaela Constantiner were works by Warhol, Newton, Mapplethorpe, Penn and others. According to a Christie’s press release “this spectacular collection focused on photography as a key shaping force within the media worlds that have, for over half a century, celebrated fashion, style, celebrity and desire”. The collection included a particularly large and impressive selection of works by Helmut Newton as well as a number of photographs of Marilyn Monroe who was the focus of the collection. The highlight of the auction was a work by Newton titled “Sie Kommen, (Naked and Dressed)” which sold for US$662,500 (estimate US$400,000-600,000) which is a new auction record for Newton.

See Constantiner Collection results press release here:
http://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/12182008/124223.pdf

**Nicholas Forrest is an art market analyst, art critic and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the founder of http://www.artmarketblog.com, writes the art column for the magazine Antiques and Collectibles for Pleasure and Profit and contributes to many other publications.