Previously unseen images of David Bowie captured by iconic fashion photographer Helmut Newton will cross the auction block at Heritage in New York next month.
"This contact sheet represents a rare convergence between two of the world’s greatest artistic talents at the height of the careers," said Nigel Russell, Director of Photography at Heritage. "By the 1980’s Newton was considered one of the world’s top fashion photographers and Bowie’s album Let’s Dance was a critical success and ensured his lasting popularity."
The enlarged contact sheet features a series of shots of Bowie taken for Vogue magazine in Monte Carlo in 1983.
Newton preserved and enlarged the sheet to 48-¼ by 53-¾ inches himself, and it has remained in a private collection since 1984."Curiously, it is signed and numbered 1/15, but we know of no others that have ever appeared at auction so we wonder if the edition was ever finished," added Russell.
Offered for the first time in its history, the sheet comes with an estimate of $20,000-$30,000.
Elsewhere the sale features famous works by the likes of Ansel Adams, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Edward Weston, Bernice Abbott and Alfred Stieglitz.
Amongst the leading lots are copies of Adams’ most famous work, ‘Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941’, estimated at $30,000-$50,000, along with prints of ‘Mount Williamson, Sierra Nevada from Manzanar, California, 1944’, (est. $15,000-$25,000); El Capitan, Sunrise, Winter, Yosemite, 1958 (est. $15,000-$20,000); and Aspens, Northern New Mexico, 1968 (est. $15,000-$20,000).
Further highlights include Eisenstaedt’s classic ‘Children at a Puppet Theatre, Paris, 1963’, estimated at $20,000-$30,000, and ‘Hi-Way 39 Drive-In, Orange, 1993’ by the acclaimed Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, valued at $18,000-$24,000.
The sale will also feature Reflections of Childhood Collection, Part II – the second offering from a remarkable collection of images documenting the struggles of childhood. Standout lots include ‘Birth Announcement of the Artist’s Son, 1930’ by El Lissitzky, estimated at $15,000-$25,000; ‘Children with a Broken Mirror, NYC, circa 1940’ by Helen Levitt, valued at $15,000-$25,000; and ‘Vinland, 1992’ by Sally Mann, estimated at $12,000-$18,000.
The Heritage Auctions Photographs Signature Auction takes place in New York on Sunday April 17.
