"An Eye for Icons"

Online Auction: Now live; closes Thursday, 27 July, 2023, midday EDT

Online Catalogue: here

More information:
Susanna Wenniger (Head of Photographs)
SWenniger@artnet.com
T: +1-212-497-9700 ext. 172

Artnet’s biannual photography auction, An Eye for Icons, is now live until July 27. The sale features images that capture the glamour and gravitas of stars past and present, including Brigitte Bardot, Jackie Kennedy, Man Ray, Muhammad Ali, Kate Moss, Miles Davis, Marilyn Monroe and Martin Luther King, among others. With icons both in front and behind the camera, featured photographers include Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritts, Peter Lindbergh, Terry O'Neill, Chuck Close, Peter Beard, and more.

The iconic photograph by Herb Ritts (1952–2002) was taken in London, when the photographer captured Michael Keaton on the set of Tim Burton's Batman in 1988. The present work is a rare unique artist proof in this size, from a sold-out edition. The image, which vividly captures the mystique and brooding darkness of the iconic superhero, was exhibited in the groundbreaking 1996 retrospective Herb Ritts: WORK, which travelled to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Kunsthaus Wein in Vienna, and other institutions.

Capitalizing on candid, unplanned moments, British photographer Terry O'Neill (1938–2019) shot some of the most famous icons of fashion, music, and sports of the 1960s and '70s. O’Neill's images of superstars like Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Faye Dunaway, and, of course, Brigitte Bardot, have become as well-known as their subjects. Of his most iconic image of the French actress, Terry O'Neill said, "During rehearsals for The Legend of Frenchie King, I noticed that when the wind gusted there was the potential for a great picture. When the time came, I only had one frame left - one shot at it...suddenly the wind swept her hair across her face, and it was a knock-out."

Man Ray (1890–1976) faces us here in a stark and severe self-portrait. As a leading figure of Dada and Surrealist movements, Ray worked in a variety of media and was best known for his pioneering photography that included portraits of Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Lee Miller, and himself. With half-shaved facial hair and dark eyes, this self-portrait represents Ray coming to terms with his public persona as an intense Surrealist genius. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, among others.

Born in Germany, Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898–1995) emigrated to the United States where he established an impressive career as an in-house photographer for Life Magazine. He photographed important figures such as John F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and Marilyn Monroe. His commitment to smaller format cameras informed his natural style of photojournalism and allowed him to capture such iconic images as VJ Day in Times Square (1945). Eisenstaedt has received many awards for his work, including the National Medal of Arts in 1989.

The work of Glen Luchford (b. 1968), preeminent British fashion photographer and filmmaker, has been featured in numerous international magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Interview, and W. He is particularly noted for his fashion campaigns for the likes of Prada, Chloe, YSL, NARS, Valentino, Mercedes Benz, Hugo Boss, Jaguar, and Calvin Klein. Another impression of this image commanded the highest auction result for the artist at Christie's London in 2013, selling for 44,205 USD.