artnet Auctions presents:
In the Buff: A Sale of Photographs Celebrating the Male Nude

A selection of photographs showcasing male beauty in all its forms

Online auction live now through July 25

artnet Auctions is proud to present In the Buff: A Sale of Photographs Celebrating the Male Nude . This sale highlights images of toned, well-defined physiques, showcasing male beauty in all of its forms, by photographers such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts, Peter Hujar, Horst P. Horst, George Hoyningen-Huene, Bruce Weber, Larry Clark, Annie Leibovitz, Ryan McGinley, Richard Avedon, and Pierre et Gilles. Works in the sale will range in value from US$2,000 to 65,000.

One of the highlights of the sale is Annie Leibovitz’s iconic portrait of Keith Haring (American, 1958–1990), who poses nude but completely covered in body paint so that he blends in with his surroundings. Haring’s instantly recognizable artistic style, as well as his bold personality, are memorialized in Leibovitz’s photograph, taken just a few years before Haring’s death. Keith Haring, New York (1986) is estimated at US$25,000–35,000.

The sale also includes a number of exceptional photographs by Herb Ritts (American, 1952–2002) and Horst P. Horst (American/German, 1906–1999). Best known for fashion photography, both artists also excelled at capturing nudes. In the 1940s and 1950s, Horst used classical poses, and dramatic lighting to emphasize the male form. In contrast, Ritt’s work from the 1980s also focuses on classical poses and the beauty of the male nude, but his figures are a reflection of the more defined physique of the modern male.

In the Buff: A Sale of Photographs Celebrating the Male Nude is live on artnet Auctions from July 16 through 25, 2013, and on view here.