Sotheby's Autumn Auctions of Photography in Paris

PARIS - On 10 and 11 November, coinciding with the 2016 instalment of Paris Photo, Sotheby's will present two exceptional auctions of photographs in Paris, both of which celebrate the history of the medium.

The first sale features a number of important rediscovered collections, including a wonderful series of 19th century photographs by Emile Charles Labbé, in collaboration with Ernest de Caranza, from an 1853 visit to Mount Athos. This is followed by a major French collection of surrealist photographs, including a set of Distortions by Andre Kertész, and vintage prints by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Hans Bellmer. Among the highlights of the contemporary photographs section are a dye-transfer by William Eggleston, Coal Miner by Richard Avedon, the Desiree Dolron portrait Xteriors IV, Sunpath by Francis Alÿs, a portrait by Thomas Ruff, as well as works from Rashid Ghana, Lewis Baltz and Hiroshi Sugimoto.

The second sale features photographs spanning the history of the medium, from its birth in the 19th century to contemporary photographs. The extremely rare album of 102 cyanotypes, British Algae Vol. III by Anna Atkins, one of the first female photographers, is the undoubted star lot of the classical section of the auction. Among European avant-garde artists, Karl Blossfeldt, Rudolf Koppitz and Leni Riefenstahl are well represented. American works are celebrated by Alfred Stieglitz’s iconic Steerage and a platinum print by Edward Weston.