HERB RITTS, 1952-2002

Wrapped Torso, Los Angeles, 1988

Platinum print. 18 x 16 in. (45.7 x 40.6 cm). Copyright credit blindstamp in the margin; signed, titled, dated and inscribed in pencil on the verso.

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF ALAIN DOMINIQUE PERRIN

Provenance: From the artist

Literature: Foundation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Herb Ritts, n.p.

Alain Dominique Perrin, Executive Director of the Richemont Financial Group, is not only an incredibly successful businessman in Europe; he is also an important and active patron of the arts in France. In 1984 he created the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in Paris, and remains its President today. The mission of the Fondation is for Cartier to promote and foster the development and awareness of all contemporary art forms through artist's exhibitions and commissions. Mr. Perrin also serves as President of the Musèe du Jeu de Paume in Paris. Both these institutions are at the forefront of contemporary art and photography in Europe.

Alain Dominique Perrin's collection of photographs results from a passion begun in the early 1980s with his wife Mathe. Both were intrigued by photography at a time when the field was still full of new discoveries and private collectors were much more rare than they are today. Their interest in photography is not limited to collecting. Mme. Perrin activities in photography and the visual arts include creating the Festival de Cahors in 1991. This Festival has evolved extremely quickly and moved from general artistic exhibitions to photographic and video. Ten years after its conception, the Festival de Cahors has moved to Toulouse due to its continual success and a greater concentration on contemporary art. The first photograph the couple acquired was Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Still #20, 1978 (lot 303), purchased at a small auction outside of Paris in the early 1980s. This was the beginning of an adventure in collecting that took the couple across the world seeking works that further expanded their aesthetic, ultimately creating an extraordinary and eclectic collection of artists, periods and works. It is their passion for images that directs their collecting and for these connoisseurs it was essential to live with the collection hung on their walls. They began by collecting classical European photography, including works by Henri Cartier-Bresson and André Kertész. Soon, there interests expanded into modernist American imagery by adding Walker Evans and Edward Weston. Irving Penn's work held a special place for them, with his elegant fashion studies and still lifes resonating with their lifestyle and the almost utilitarian presence of the collection in their homes, stretching from spaces for entertaining and relaxing to the kitchens. As their involvement in contemporary art expanded, works by many current artists including John Baldessari, Hiroshi Sugimoto and Andres Serrano were added, expanding the dimensions of the collection to the here and now.

This collection is the result of a family's adventure and passion, involving their children also in choosing works. This is the collection of enlightened supporters of the visual arts; connoisseurs who have shared their passion through patronage of both private and public institutions in France. As many active collectors eventually find, they have filled their walls leaving Mme. and Mr. Perrin deciding to begin a new collecting adventure. Phillips de Pury & Company is very honored to have the privilege of offering a selection of this unique collection.