Celebrity Photos, Ansel Adams Landscapes at Heritage Auctions’ Oct. 11 Photographs Auction
DALLAS, Texas—A striking array of celebrity photographs and a collection of Ansel Adams landscapes are among the most coveted images that will be available Oct. 11 in Heritage Auctions’ Photographs Auction in New York.
Expected to be among the top lots is Lawrence Schiller’s 1962 Marilyn 12 Portfolio (twelve photographs), which carries a pre-auction estimate of $25,000-35,000. The collection of 15-by-23-inch gelatin silver and dye coupler photos - number 45 in an edition of 75 - is housed in the original black vinyl clamshell box embossed with the portfolio title, the artist’s name and publisher. Among the included images are photos of the legendary Hollywood starlet enjoying sparklers in the top of a birthday cake, swimming while nude and a contact sheet with 29 images of her photo shoot in and around a pool.
Terry O’Neill’s 1968 Frank Sinatra and Bodyguards, Fountainbleau, Miami Beach (est. $20,000-30,000) is an oversized (47-by-71-inch) gelatin silver image that depicts the legendary singer, his bodyguards and a body double at the Fountainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach in an image that O’Neill said happened by accident. O’Neill had been trying to figure out the best way to capture Sinatra, who was at the Fountainebleau while filming Lady In Cement (in which he starred as private investigator Tony Rome) when the crooner and his crew “appeared around the corner of the boardwalk with his bodyguards, and I just captured the moment,” O’Neill said.
Ian Macmillan’s 1969 The Beatles, Abbey Road (two rare alternate cover photograph outtakes), which carry a pre-auction estimate of $15,000-25,000, show two of the images the photo shoot that produced one of the most famous album cover images of all time. The 17-by-16-7/8-inch dye coupler images are number 10 in an edition of 25.
In 1977, the man known simply as “The Greatest” was captured in John Stewart’s 1977 Group of Seven Photographs featuring Muhammad Ali (est. $10,000-15,000). The set of 27-1/4-by-20-3/8-inch fresson carbon prints includes images that reveal the violent nature of the charismatic Ali’s occupation through close-ups of his fist, his powerful arm and an extremely tight shot of his sweat-covered face staring intensely into the camera, and his sensitive side in an image of him holding a bird on one finger and an image of a turtleneck-clad Ali looking pensive while resting his jaw in his hand.
Annie Leibovitz’s 1999 Bruce Springsteen, Philadelphia (est. $10,000-15,000) is extraordinary, not just because of its composition - at first glance, it almost looks like everything around the artist referred to as “The Boss” is in black and white - but also because of its sheer size. The oversized dye coupler image of Springsteen making his set list for his Sept. 20, 1999 concert in Philadelphia measures 44-1/2 inches high by 65 inches wide, and is signed and dated in ink with the title and edition “1/1” printed on a label on the reverse of the frame.
Edward Steichen’s 1929 Gertrude Lawrence (est. $10,000-15,000) captures Lawrence - an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in London’s West End on Broadway - peeking out from behind a paper fan. The gelatin silver image measures 9-1/2 inches high and 7-1/2 inches wide.
Ansel Adams
A group of 16 images by the legendary photographer and environmentalist are among the lots expected to draw considerable attention at the auction. Among the Adams highlights:
Ansel Adams’ 1958 Aspens, Northern New Mexico (est. $20,000-30,000) is extraordinary in the way the light aspen trees grab the light, while everything behind them is dark, almost as if it isn’t there. The gelatin silver image measures 18 inches high by 22-3/4 inches wide and is number 96 in an edition of 115.
Adams’ 1955 Half Dome, Blowing Snow, Yosemite National Park, California (est. $10,000-15,000), number 96 in an edition of 115, is a gelatin silver image that measures 15-5/8 inches high and 19-1/2 inches wide, captures a dramatic geological structure in the national park in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.
His 1968 El Capitan, Sunrise, Winter, Yosemite National Park, California (est. $10,000-15,000) is another gelatin silver image - measuring 19-1/4 inches wide by 15-1/2 inches high and numbered 95 in an edition of 115 - of arguably the most famous structure in the park. The image looks almost like the merger of two worlds: at the top, the snow-covered El Capitan juts into the sky, high above the clouds and the towering evergreen trees below.
Other top lots are expected to include, but are not limited to:
· Steve McCurry’s 1985 Afghan Girl, Pakistan (est. $12,000-18,000) - the stunning image used on the memorable June 1985 cover of National Geographic magazine
· Lawrence Schiller’s 1962 Never Out Of Sight, Tippi Hedren and Alfred Hitchcock (est. $4,000-6,000) - a fascinating image that shows the former model, actress and animal rights activist driving in a convertible, but with the former British film director and producer in the car’s sideview mirror
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