Incunable of the history of photography

Auction 1189 │ Photography

A photograph of historical rarity marks the opening of the auction: The untitled portrait of a lady from between 1845 and 1849 is the first daguerreotype by Bertha Wehnert-Beckmann – the earliest female professional photographer in Europe – to be offered at an international auction. Following the early death of her husband Eduard Wehnert, the young daguerreotypist took on the business of their joint studio in Leipzig and brought it to international renown with her artistic portraits. Not only personalities from the aristocracy, military and notable middle classes counted amongst her clients, but the young Johannes Brahms and the 13th President of the USA, Millard Fillmore, also had their portraits taken by her (lot 500, € 3/4,000).

Bauhaus photography receives special attention this season, as it did in the spring auction. Four vintage prints from the estate of Xanti Schawinsky depict members of the Bauhaus band, to which Schawinsky also belonged, socialising and playing music on the roof of the Bauhaus building (lots 508-512, € 2-5,000). In its dynamism and liveliness, the portrait of T. Lux Feininger stands out, exhibiting the typical elements of the ‘Neues Sehen’: the cut of the motif, the strong view from below, the shadowing of the face from the top hat pulled down over the face, and the blurring of the movement of the hand playing music (lot 511, € 4/5,000).

The vintage prints offered for sale by Albert Renger-Patzsch were taken at various creative periods, the spectrum ranging from the early, fine-toned interior shot of a North German brick church on velvety Kodak Royal paper (lot 515, € 3/4,000), a rare, spirited portrait study of the Expressionist dancer Mary Wigman (lot 517, € 2/3,000), to two new-objective photographs of modern industrial plants in the Ruhr region, the latter from the estate of the architect Fritz Schupp (lots 520/521, € 1800/2,200 - € 2,500/3,000).

French photography of the interwar period is prominently represented this season by several works from two of its most famous advocates – André KertészandHenri Cartier-Bresson. ‘Satiric Dancer’ and ‘Chez Mondrian’, both taken in 1926 during Kertész’ time in Paris, are two incunable of the history of photography (lot 526/527, € 4/5,000 and 5/7,000). The photographer congenially transfers the characteristic features of the art of the Dutch Constructivist into his own pictorial medium, the photograph: a grid of horizontal and vertical pictorial axes structures the picture plane to create a complex composition of geometric surfaces.

Three of the five works by Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit an explicitly erotic context. In 1933, the path of the young photojournalist led to a bordello in ‘Alicante, Spain’ (lots 532/533, € 4/5,000 and 5/6,000), and the following year he photographed two lesbians making love in ‘Mexico’: ‘Love Spider’ (L’araingée d’amor) shows a tangle of arms and legs seemingly from a single body (lot 531, € 7/9,000). The 1962 shot ‘Mur de Berlin’ with children playing on the wall, builds the bridge to post-war Germany and thus into the Adenauer era (lot 565, € 5/7,000).

Chargesheimer’s large-format close-up portrait of the former Chancellor was created in 1955 as part of a portrait series for the news magazine ‘Der Spiegel’. Its publication on the cover of the news journal made great waves in public life; the photographer was accused of wanting to “disavow” the chancellor and his politics with his almost diabolical staging. The solarisation, which the published version did not have, makes the unique variant presented here a notable photographic and historical rarity (lot 558, € 3,500/4,000).

The untitled ‘Nudogramm’ by Floris M. Neusüss from 1967, is the photographic reply to Informel painting. The photogram on auto reversing gelatin silver paper reveals the life-size outline of a young woman with flowing hair posing as if sleeping. The large format paperwork has a surprising poetic and painterly effect (lot 551, € 6,000/8,000).

In line with the current vein of the ‘Black Life Matters’ movement on the international art and photography market, the auction offers four works by the Malian ‘star’ among African photographers, Seydou Keïta. The portraits of the 2001-deceased photographer are characterised by loving details in the (self-) staging of the sitters in improvised studio settings (lots 580–583, each € 4/5,000).

Auctions 1187 and 1188 | Evening Sale and Day Sale

Taking place on the same day as the Photography auction and the day after, the two Contemporary Art sales feature a selection of photographs focusing on the numerous works of the ‘Düsseldorf School’. The highlight of the Evening Sale is the large format ‘Stanze di Raffaello 2, Rom’ by Thomas Struthfrom the series of Museum Photographs in which the artist subtly sets the historic paintings in the Raphael Rooms of the Vatican Museum in juxtaposition with its visitors, deeply immersed in their viewing (lot 30, € 60/80,000). The Day Sale on Saturday offers a group of industry shots by Bernd and Hilla Becher(lots 358–363, € 4/10,000), as well as a number of black and white photographs and colour Polaroids by Andy Warhol from his ‘Factory’ (lots 412–415, € 4-15,000).

Auction Dates

Auction 1189 - Photography

Photography
Friday 03. 12. 2021, 02:00 pm
Lot 500 - 618
Auction 1189
Auction
Cologne
Friday 3 December 2021

Photography 1189
2 pm Lot 500 - 618
Evening Sale 1187
6 pm Lot 1 - 73

Saturday 4 December 2021

Day Sale 1188
2 pm Lot 300 - 476 Contemporary Art

Visitors are required to show the Covid pass.
The auction room is kept free of germs and viruses by a UVC filter system.

The auction will be streamed live at www.lempertz.com.
Preview
Cologne
Saturday 27 Nov., 10 am - 4 pm
Sunday 28 Nov., 11 am - 4 pm
Monday 29 Nov. - Thursday 2 Dec., 10 am - 5.30 pm
and immediately before the auction

Brussels (selection), Rue du Grand Cerf 6 Grote Hertstraat
Thursday 4 Nov., 9 am – 5.30 pm
Friday 5 Nov., 9 am – 5.30 pm
Saturday 6 Nov., 11 am – 6 pm

Berlin (selection), Poststraße 22
Friday, 12 Nov: 11 am - 5 pm
Saturday, 13 Nov: 11 am - 5 pm

Visitors are required to show the Covid pass.
Catalogue
PDF-Catalogue

Auction 1187 - Contemporary Art, Evening Sale

Photography Post War & Contemporary Art Modern Art
Friday 03. 12. 2021, 06:00 pm
Lot 1 - 73
Auction 1187
Auction
Cologne
Friday, Dezember
6 pm, Lot 1 – 73

You are kindly invited to leave your bids by telephone or online.
Visitors are required to show the Covid pass.

The auction will be streamed live at www.lempertz.com.

Kunsthaus Lempertz
Neumarkt 3
50667 Cologne
T+49.221.925729-0
F+49.221.925729-6
Preview
Cologne, Neumarkt 3
Saturday 27 Nov: 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday 28 Nov: 11 am – 4 pm
Monday 29 Nov – Thursday 2 Dez:
10 am – 5:30 pm

Brussels, Rue du Grand Cerf 6 Grote Hertstraat
Thursday 4 Nov: 9 am – 5:30 pm
Friday 5 Nov: 9 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday 6 Nov: 11 am – 6 pm

Berlin (selection), Poststraße 22
Friday, 12 Nov: 11 am - 5 pm
Saturday, 13 Nov: 11 am - 5 pm

Visitors are required to show the Covid pass.
Catalogue
PDF-Catalogue

Auction 1188 - Contemporary Art, Day Sale

Photography Post War & Contemporary Art Modern Art
Saturday 04. 12. 2021, 02:00 pm
Lot 300 - 476
Auction 1188
Auction
Cologne
Saturday, Dezember 4
2 pm, Lot 300 – 476

Visitors are required to show the Covid pass.
The auction room is kept free of germs and viruses by a UVC filter system.

The auction will be streamed live at www.lempertz.com.

Kunsthaus Lempertz
Neumarkt 3
50667 Cologne
T+49.221.925729-0
F+49.221.925729-6
Preview
Cologne, Neumarkt 3
Saturday 27 Nov: 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday 28 Nov: 11 am – 4 pm
Monday 29 Nov – Thursday 2 Dez:
10 am – 5:30 pm

Brussels, Rue du Grand Cerf 6 Grote Hertstraat
Thursday 4 Nov: 9 am – 5:30 pm
Friday 5 Nov: 9 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday 6 Nov: 11 am – 6 pm

Berlin (selection), Poststraße 22
Friday, 12 Nov: 11 am - 5 pm
Saturday, 13 Nov: 11 am - 5 pm

Visitors are required to show the Covid pass.
Catalogue
PDF-Catalogue

Please contact our experts for further information:

phone: +49-(0)221-92 57 29–28 or –56

fax: +49-(0)221-92 57 29-6

photo@lempertz.com