Photographs of the world’s most beautiful women are to be auctioned at Christie’s with an estimated price tag of 3 million dollars (£1.5m).
Irving Penn’s iconic nude portraits of model Gisele Bundchen and Kate Moss are among those going under the hammer at Christie’s New York on April 10.
The images come from the collection of German-born Gert Elfering, one of the world’s most prolific collectors of 20th century photography. Elfering, is parting with 135 rare original prints from his collection, including many photographs of the world’s most beautiful women.
Moss’s photo from 1996 is expected to fetch between $30,000 to $40,000 as is Bundchen’s.
Other works for sale include a 1959 portrait of Brigitte Bardot, a reclining nude of American actress Lauren Hutton, and a set of four psychedelic Beatles portraits all by the celebrated fashion photographer Richard Avedon.
Elfering is also selling works by Man Ray, Diane Arbus, Helmut Newton and legendary photographer Horst P Horst.
It was Horst who inspired Elfering to start collecting photography when he attended an exhibition at Hamilton’s Gallery in London in the early 1980s.
The 25-year-old bought a book and poster; by 1998 he had acquired the entire Horst archive. “I moved on to smaller prints, then more expensive ones, and finally the estate,” says Elfering, now 49.
A selection went on display today at Christie’s in King Street, London.Christie’s said: “Central themes in the collection are the celebration of genius and above all of beauty … The stylized, idealized female figure occupies a privileged place in Elfering’s aesthetic.”
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