Stephen Shore emerged on the art scene at a remarkably young age. An influential American photographer credited with the popularization of color photography, at just 14 Shore’s work was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art through its famed photography director Edward Steichen. By 18, Shore gained access to Warhol’s Factory and photographed its goings-on in his signature deadpan style. Six years later, in 1971, he became the second living photographer to have an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum—the first being Alfred Steiglitz, some 40 years earlier.
With an oeuvre spanning over five decades, Shore’s work has consistently evolved and matured. Two projects in particular stand out, and have become seminal within the art historical canon of photography: “American Surfaces” and “Uncommon Places.” Both series document the American road, with the focus shifting over time from objects to whole scenes. Influenced by snapshots, “American Surfaces” documents, in color, scenes that most viewers would consider ‘common’ or ‘banal’—a toilet, a carton of milk, a sandwich. “Uncommon Places” moves past the snapshot aesthetic, using large-format photographs to capture detailed compositions of the American landscape. This series of photographs is often considered Shore’s most iconic work.
While Shore has been a major and influential art world figure for some time, the secondary market for his works really began to pick up during the mid-2000s. This was the height of the international auction market, particularly for Post-War and Contemporary sectors. His first major auction sales were in the early 1990s with 2005 marking a turning point, with all five lots of his work selling that year. Additionally, it was during Phillips’ October Photographs sale that a portfolio of 12 photographs sold for over $56,000, surpassing its pre-sale estimates of $20,000–30,000. This lot remains the most expensive by the artist to date.
According to the artnet Price Database Fine Art and Design, over 375 works by Shore have been offered at auction since the early 90s, with high demand overall as the average sell-through rate tops 70%. 2007 and 2008 were particularly strong years: over 40 works were offered at auction each year, with sell-through rates exceeding the average. Additionally, it was within this period that the value of works sold by Shore at international auctions hit an all-time high, with $271,000 in 2007 and $215,000 in 2008. As an archetypal American photographer, the majority of lots are offered domestically, however the market in Germany is also very robust. Nearly 25% are offered by German auction houses, and two of the top five lots were sold at Kunsthaus Lempertz in Cologne, Germany.
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