Beginning on Tuesday, February 2, artnet Auctions will offer a selection of classic and contemporary nude photography, ranging from abstract interpretations of the human form to traditionally beautiful nudes. The sale will include highly sought-after images by Richard Avedon, Vik Muniz, Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, David LaChapelle, Horst P. Horst, Edward Weston, Bill Brandt, and André Kertész, among others.
Figure and Form: Classic and Contemporary Nudes will be live for bidding February 2 through 11 on artnet Auctions.
https://www.artnet.com/auctions/figure-and-form-0216/
• Richard Avedon
Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent, Los Angeles, California, June 14, 1981
Gelatin silver print
Edition of 200
28.5 x 43 in.
Est. 80,000–100,000 USD
Depicted in this striking portrait is German actress and model Nastassja Kinski, daughter of the famous actor Klaus Kinski. Just 20 years old at the time, Kinski had recently starred in her breakthrough role as the title character in Roman Polanski’s 1979 film Tess, a performance that won her a Golden Globe. Kinski stares coolly at the camera despite the large snake that coils around her nude body, inching towards her face. Arguably his most famous work, Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent embodies Avedon’s innovative approach, and has achieved impressive prices at auction: in April of 2014, Phillips New York sold another print for $155,000.
• Jack Pierson
Jonathan, 2007
Chromogenic print
Edition of 25 (each unique)
16 x 20 in.
Est. 4,000–6,000 USD
Contemporary American artist Jack Pierson works in a range of media, including photography, drawing, collage, and sculpture. He is perhaps best known for his portraits, especially those of male models. This image depicts young actor Jonathan Groff, currently celebrated for his role in the Broadway hit Hamilton!. Groff was 22 when this photograph was taken in 2007, the same year he was nominated for a Tony Award. Each print in this edition of 25 is a different, striking color.
• Horst P. Horst
Hands Behind Buttocks, NY, 1952
Platinum-palladium print
Edition of 25
19.25 x 15 in.
Est. 12,000–18,000 USD
Horst P. Horst’s combination of extravagant visual fantasy and vibrant sensuality sets his work apart from other fashion photography—both now and in his lifetime. He photographed his models with meticulous precision under artificial lights in austere studio sets, using backgrounds that are plain or severe and geometric. Horst’s work frequently reflected his interest in both Surrealism and the ancient Greek ideal of physical beauty.
• David LaChapelle
Mark Wahlberg, 1997
Digital chromogenic print
Edition of 30
24 x 20 in.
Est. 6,000–8,000 USD
David LaChapelle seamlessly blends pop culture, fashion, and fine art in his provocative and often humorous photographs. In this portrait of Mark Wahlberg, the actor and former hip hop artist stands in a room surrounded by dozens of synthetic breasts protruding from the walls. When this photograph was taken in 1997, Wahlberg had recently starred in what is now considered his signature role, Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights.
• Helmut Newton
Charlottle Rampling, Hotel Nord Pinus, Arles, 1973
Gelatin silver print
14 x 11 in.
Est. 22,000–30,000 USD
Helmut Newton is one of the 20th century’s most influential photographers, renowned for his carefully composed, cinematic photographs. Newton’s style has graced the pages of the world’s top fashion magazines, and he is widely recognized for continuously pushing boundaries and redefining fashion photography throughout the 1970s and ‘80s. Here, Newton captures model and actress Charlotte Rampling in the “Bullfighter’s Room” at the Hotel Nord Pinus. Rampling is currently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in the film 45 Years.
Annie Leibovitz
Lance Armstrong, 1999
Chromogenic print
Edition of 40
14 x 17 in.
Est. 3,000–5,000 USD
This dynamic photograph of cycling legend Lance Armstrong was taken by one of America’s greatest portrait and celebrity photographers, Annie Leibovitz. Their photoshoot took place during the fall of 1999 when Armstrong had returned to cycling after defeating cancer, winning his first Tour de France. He went on to win seven consecutive Tour de France victories—a record for the prestigious race—before being famously stripped of his titles in 2012. Leibovitz’s image of a nude Armstrong atop his bike captures the athlete at the peak of his career and popularity, and was published in Vanity Fair in February of 2000.
• Vik Muniz
702 Holes (from Pictures of Holes), 1997
Digital color coupler print
Edition of 25
14 x 11 in.
Est. 3,000–5,000 USD
In his series Pictures of Holes, Vik Muniz renders nude figures with lines of painstakingly tiny holes on crumpled and creased pieces of paper. The title of the works refer to the number of holes that each subject required, in this case 702. As is typical for the artist, Muniz presents a photograph of the work rather than the original, raising questions about representation, process, and what constitutes a work of art.
• Herb Ritts
Female Nude with Black Sand, 1989
Gelatin silver print
Edition of 25
18.11 x 14.96 in.
Est. 8,000–12,000 USD
In Female Nude with Black Sand, Herb Ritts brings a modern edge to the classical nude by adding intense contrasts in light, texture, and tone. Ritts pays equally close attention to the female figure as to the brightly sunlit Hawaiian beach where the image was shot, producing bold contrasts between human form and nature.
INFORMATION
Figure and Form
From 2 to 11 February 2016
artnet Auctions
