- 80
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
- 'Beijing', December 1948
- Signed in ink on verso
- Gelatin silver print
- Image and paper size: 37.1 x 24.6 cm
Silver print, printed c. 1957. Signed and numbered 4/50 in ink on the reverse.
Provenance
Directly from the artist
Literature
Henri Cartier-Bresson and Jean-Paul Sartre, D'une Chine à l'autre, Paris, Robert Delpire Editeur, 1954, ill. cover.
Condition
This print is in overall very good condition. With a small handling mark in the upper left quadrant, only visible in raking light. With a minor loss of paper at the upper left corner, and slightly softened other corners.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
After co-founding Magnum, Cartier-Bresson began travelling extensively, capturing humane and candid photographs during some of the most significant moments in recent history. After documenting the death of Gandhi in India, Cartier-Bresson travelled to China for the final six months of Kuomintang and the first six months of the communist People’s Republic. Beijing, December 1948 captures the significance this period had on everyday people. A peasant who has come to Beijing to sell his vegetables sits eating in the foreground, whilst behind a shopkeeper looks down, resigned to the fact he has nothing to sell in his store. What appears to be a spontaneous moment seems to powerfully illustrate the extreme political climate in China.