Phillips Photographs: November 2024 Auction

As the November sales from Phillips auction house roll around again, this year, London’s Photographs sale boasts a particularly impressive selection. Phillips stands as a barometer for the European market, informing collectors and galleries alike of the current climate in commercial photography. With 112 lots, there is an engaging mix of collectable works—classic, contemporary and vintage.

Of all works, perhaps the most anticipated is a rare print of Diane Arbus’ ‘Identical Twins’ (1963), which is estimated at a staggering £400-600k. This print is from Japanese photographer Ikkō Narahara’s private collection. It was gifted to him in 1973 and remained in his collection for over 45 years, until his passing in 2020. It is rare for lifetime prints of ‘Identical Twins’ to come up at auction, especially one deemed large format and printed in the late sixties.

Other highly estimated lots are ‘Avedon/Paris’, a self-published, limited edition portfolio of eleven silver gelatin prints by Richard Avedon. The set was produced for his 1978 retrospective at MoMA, and is estimated between £120-180k. Next in line for the highest lot is one of Peter Beard’s unique collages, ‘Female Gerenuk on the Tiva’, which is expected to sell for £70-90k. The work is a silver gelatin print depicting a lone, now-endangered gerenuk, which has been worked upon with ink, snakeskins, blood, a feather, newspaper clippings, stamps, a matchbox and a sticker.

Beard’s collages touch on an emerging theme within the auction at large. This year, Phillips are presenting a number of unique works in the form of polaroids and alternative processes. German photographer Ellen von Unwert is the focus of the auctions’ ‘ULTIMATE’ section, which presents a set of sixteen unique polaroids from her personal collection. The selection features a string of models, photographed between 1987-2004, including Elizabeth Hurley, Naomi Campbell, Paris Hilton, Claudia Schiffer, Karen Mulder, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista and Eva Herzigova.

Two collectable and unique polaroids by Andy Warhol also feature; a portrait of Debbie Harry (1980) and of Robert Mapplethorpe (1983). American photographer Amanda Means is another artist to contribute a polaroid, her piece titled ‘Light Bulb’ from 2007 is extra-large, printed on 31×21 inch paper.

Aside from polaroids, a composite diazotype by Francesca Woodman features a series of women’s heads sitting in profile. This piece was a study for Woodman’s largest and most ambitious work, ‘Blueprint for a Temple’ (1980). Its provenance is from the collection of Anita Thacher, who was Woodman’s friend and neighbour. In a similar vein, British artist Susan Derges has an exquisite, large-format, dye destruction photogram in the sale, titled, ‘Full Moon—Hawthorn’ (2003).

Seven Japanese photographers feature this year, including Nobuyoshi Araki, Mao Ishikawa, Ikkō Narahara, Eiji Ohashi, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Shoji Ueda and Hiroshi Yamazaki. Alongside Arbus’ ‘Identical Twins’, a triptych titled ‘The Sun 1,2,3’ by Hiroshi Yamasaki is another esteemed work to come from Ikkō’s Narahara’s personal collection. Narahara’s own work, ‘Two Garbage Cans’ (1973)—arguably his most famous—also features in the auction.

Other highlights from the sale are some important and timeless works by Irving Penn, including his striking ‘Bee (A)’ for Vogue, another of his infamous Cigarette Studies (#135), and a lovely later print of ‘Fish Bones on a Plate’. A 1971 dye transfer by William Eggleston, a new work by contemporary Ghanaian photographer, Prince Gyasi, and a rare platinum print of an aubergine by Robert Mapplethorpe (appearing at auction for the very first time), are other notable works to feature.

After Terry O’Neill’s blinding success in Phillips’ spring auction last year, we are especially pleased to see more of his work return for sale this autumn. While all six of O’Neill’s lots exceeded their estimated prices last May, his celebrated portrait of Brigitte Bardot was the most astounding result. With a hammer price of £48,260, the work returned six-times its expected value. Therefore it is perhaps unsurprising that this portrait has reappeared in the autumn sale; this print being a smaller format but still co-signed by Bardot. Faye Dunaway after the Oscars and Audrey Hepburn with a Dove are other classic portraits by O’Neill showing in this year’s selection.

Phillips’ last autumn sale was predominantly contemporary, while this November auction has a slightly wider span, reflecting both historic and modern themes. Presenting fifty-four artists in total, many of the photographers from 2023 are reappearing this year and it is somewhat disappointing to see that only eleven women photographers made the cut. Yet with many international artists and an exciting focus on both classic and modern Japanese photography, the auction offers seasoned and new buyers an impressive selection of standout pieces to enhance any collection.