Photographies - Collection Claude Berri

Auction: Saturday 12 November 2016, 5pm

Viewing: 5, 7–12 November (10am – 6pm)

E-catalogue: christies.com/photoberri

Contact: Elodie Morel, Head of Department | +33 (0) 1 40 76 84 16 | emorel@christies.com

Claude Berri’s passion for photography will be presented in a dedicated auction on Saturday 12 November. It includes 69 works estimated at approximately €1,2 million, mainly focusing on the 1930s and contemporary photography.
Elodie Morel, Head of Paris Photography department, adds: “The works that Claude Berri has cautiously chosen constitute a coherent and selective collection. His interest in the beginning of photography to contemporary creations make this auction a great journey throughout photography’s history. We are very proud to present this auction, and hope that collectors will be as enthusiast as we are”.

The French director began building his collection by acquiring works by Eugène Atget and André Brassaï of which the collection includes prints from his famous graffiti series. From the 1950s, Berri was very fond of Paul Strand of whom two photographs are featured in the sale (each estimated at €20,000–30,000).
The contemporary section will feature an important photograph by Jeff Wall in a lightbox (estimated at €300,000–500,000), large prints by Hiroshi Sugimoto that Claude Berri had included in an exhibition at his Renn Espace in 1995-1996 and 1999, next to works by Alexander Rodchenko such as Ball Bearing Plant, Moscow, 1932 (estimated at €50,000–70,000) and Raoul Ubac (estimated at €25,000–35,000). Most of the photos of the collection were exhibited in 2003 at the Archevêché and Cloître Saint-Trophisme during the Arles International Photography Festival.