The Museum of Modern Art and the New York branch of Christie’s have announced the sale of 400 photographs from the collections of the most famous American museum. The three other sales will occur in December 2017, January and April 2018. These photographs will be divided into four sales, the first and main of which will be held on October 10th. Among the artists sold, the curious and collectors will be able to find works of Man Ray (Rayograph, 1928), Henri Cartier-Bresson (Coney Island, New York, 1946) or again Ansel Adams (Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, California, 1938).
As an example, the starting price for the work of Man Ray is estimated between $ 150,000 and $ 250,000. The entire collection is estimated around $ 3.6 million. Revenues from the sale of these historical pieces will be returned to the MoMA photographic department to finance future acquisitions.
Darius Himes, director of the photography department at Christie’s, recalls the importance of the MoMa collection: “In 1940, The Museum became the first museum in the country to form a Department of Photography. “
