Capturing It All

S otheby’s spring Photographs sale features an exceptional range of 19th, 20th and 21st century works by masters of the medium. From color and nature photography to portraiture and images documenting the natural world, browse the focused selections below before the online sale closes on 3 April at 12:00 PM EST.

Passé Vente aux enchères

Photographs

24 mars–3 avril 2020 | 12:00 PM EDT | New York

S ince the autochrome process was patented by the Lumière brothers in 1903, color photography has enticed artists and viewers alike with the promise of life-like representations. From carbro and dye-transfer prints to Polaroids and large-scale chromogenic works, this stellar selection offers some serious eye candy.

W omen represent 50 percent of the world’s population; let’s make sure they comprise 50 percent of the photography market, too.

T hese images of Americans during the Great Depression offer visual reminders that we can face challenging moments by remaining a unified community, rather than a world of individuals.

F rom photograms and cyanotypes to digitally constructed images, these artists don’t need cameras to make mind-blowingly creative photographs.

A piece of photography’s revolutionary history is embedded in each of these 19th-century prints, made in the decades after the invention of the medium.

P hotography has the invaluable ability to show us what we cannot experience in person. At a moment when many of us are stationed at home, nature’s grandeur, beauty and inspiration can be found in these works from masters such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.

A s we watch our world change virtually overnight, we now work and play differently – but the power of love, unity and fraternity will remain eternal. Here, we highlight photos that remind us of how wonderful the world can be – and will be again, soon.

T he photographs of Irving Penn, a master of all genres, never cease to astound us, whether the works document the far corners of the world or a cigarette butt found on the sidewalk.

P hotographic portraits let us channel, engage with and seek inspiration from fascinating faces from the past 150 years.