Ansel Adams Photography Collection for Sale
gelatin silver mural print, printed 1970-75, estimate $250,000-350,000
Get out your over-endowed checkbooks and no-limit credit cards. The largest collection of Ansel Adam’s works in private hands, including all of his most-sought after images, will be sold through Christie’s on Friday, April 11. Can't get to New York? You can submit your absentee bid online or by phone up to 24 hours prior to the auction.
The 122-lot collection, amassed from 1969-1975, decorated the walls of a California company. Adams worked closely with the company director, visited the building, and even advised on lighting, color schemes for walls, as well as the placement and spacing of the photographs. His entire career is captured in this collection, with many of his most iconic images reproduced mural-size. The sale is expected to realize $3 to $5 million.
Oh, to have a spare few thousand dollars and a mural-sized wall in need of a photograph...
For more info: Photographs By Ansel Adams From A California Collection
Comments
To think, years ago while a young, underpaid university professor, I could have had a wall-sized print of any of Ansel's images, personally autographed to me, for only a few hundred dollars. But at that time, when my annual income was about what Barb is getting as a monthly salary, that was way out of my reach (a VW Beetle was under $2000 in those days, and gas was 30 cents a gallon, or 50 cents in the distant reaches of the Sierra). But I do have what is to me more valuable than any of the pictures - personal instruction from him in photography, a number of years of correspondence, and a friendship and acquaintance of a number of years. And, as it turns out, I am actually mentioned (though not by name) in one of his books. Too bad my photographic skills never got to more than the "passable" level.
I see that they expect the Clearing Winter Storm print to go for $250-300 thousand (!) for the 40 1/2 x 54 5/8 size (only $25-35k for the smaller 15 1/8 x 18¾in. size)). I do see a few items with an expected range starting as low as $4000. And a 14 3/8 x 19 1/8in. print of "Moonrise" is expected to go for "only" $25-35 thousand.
Oh, well, maybe I can buy the catalog, only $40 plus shipping.
Bill, I saw a few Adams prints for sale at Photo LA a few weeks ago. This is a big show of different galleries from all over the place, mostly US, but a few foreign galleries as well. The prints I saw were in the 25-75K range, if I remember right. I think one gallery had a Clearing Storm print and a Moonrise print in that price range.
Adams influenced regular guys like myself. I used a lot of black and white film when we hiked, trying to have photos look something like his.
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