NEW YORK – Famous photographic images of the 20th century are being offered in a Jasper52 auction of photogravures on Sunday, Oct. 9.
Absentee and Internet live bidding on this no-reserve auction is possible exclusively through LiveAuctioneers. Bidding on all lots begins at $1. Live bidding will starts at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
Photogravure is an intaglio printmaking process used for rich, high-quality photo reproduction. This 149-lot sale boasts some of the most revered names in photography.
Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Behind the Gare St. Lazare is one of the most famous photographs ever taken. Using a Leica 35mm camera, Cartier-Bresson captured a man leaping over a large puddle in 1932. The sheet-fed gravure (above) in the Jasper52 auction was printed in Paris in 1952. Gare Saint-Lazare is a major railway station in Paris.
Many of the images in the pohotogravure auction have a transportation theme, which captivates the attention of photographers.
Hungarian photographer Erno Vadas (1899-1962) was one of the most successful photographers in Europe in the 1920s-1930s. His photographs are characterized by the bold contrasts of light and shadow. Vadas’ Locomotive (below) was printed as a sheet-fed photogravure in 1936.
Although American artist Man Ray (1890-1976) considered himself foremost a painter, he is best known for photography. In addition to one of his “rayograph” self-portraits in the auction, is a pohotogravure titled Sailboat, printed in 1931.
The use of small hand-held cameras and improved film helped photographers freeze action with short exposure times. Hungarian-born photographer Martin Munkacsi (1896-1963), who started his career as a sports photographer, applied innovative compositions for his action shots. An example is Motorcycle Rider (below), which was printed in 1931 by La Neogravure Co. of France.
Rounding out the selection of travel-related images is a striking photogravure credited to Photo-Union Berlin titled Aeroplane (below). It was also printed by Le Neogravure Co. in 1930.
All lots in this Jasper52 auction of photogravures have estimates of $75-$150, but because there are no reserves will sell to the highest bidders. Bidding on all lots started at $1.
