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Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe stars in Jasper52 gravure auction Jan. 16

Marilyn Monroe
Cecil Beaton print, ‘Marilyn Monroe,’ 1956, limited edition portfolio, 100/1000, 6¾ x 7¼ inches. Estimate: $700-$1,000. Jasper52 image

NEW YORK – Famous photographers of the 20th century and their equally famous images are presented in a Premium Gravures Auction to be conducted by Jasper52 on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Absentee and Internet live bidding for this online auction is available through LiveAuctioneers.

Photogravure is an intaglio printmaking process used for rich, high-quality photo reproduction.

The auction will begin with two of America’s most famous photographers, Ansel Adams and Diane Arbus, followed by a beautiful image of Hollywood’s immortal starlet, Marilyn Monroe (above).

Ansel Adams (1902-1984) was is the most honored naturalist photographer of his time. The Adams gravure in the Jasper52 auction is it titled Bear Valley California, which is a scenic area in the beautiful Central Sierra Mountains between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. The 10-by-13-inch image (below) of weathered siding and a window frame was printed in Switzerland in the 1970s. It is numbered 39/1000. Only the first 50 prints were signed by the photographer; the rest have printed facsimile signatures.

Marilyn Monroe
Ansel Adams print, ‘Bear Valley, California,’ 1974, signed, limited edition portfolio, 39/1000, 10 x 13 inches. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Jasper52 image

With Lot 2 the view swings from the High Sierra to New York’s Central Park for Diane Arbus’ well-known image titled Child with a Toy Hand Grenade, which she photographed in 1962. Arbus (1923-1971) is the best-known female photographer of her generation. The 9¾-inch-square gravure, which was printed in Italy in the 1970s, is numbered 288/1000.

Marilyn Monroe
Diane Arbus print, ‘Child with a Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, New York,’ 1962, limited edition portfolio, 288/1000, x 9¾ inches. Estimate: $400-$500. Jasper52 image

Cecil Beaton was an English fashion, portrait and war photographer, whose portraits of iconic figures such as Picasso, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Twiggy are recognized worldwide. His portrait of Marilyn, taken in 1956, was printed as a gravure in Italy in the 1980s. It comes from a limited edition portfolio numbered 100/1000.

Walker Evans (1903-1975) was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Two of his works are offered in the Jasper52 auction. One is an untitled abstract view of an exterior, which was printed in Switzerland in the early 1970s. It is numbered 39/1000 and is hand-signed by the photographer.

Marilyn Monroe
Walker Evans untitled print, signed by the photographer, portfolio limited edition, 39/1000, 1970s, 10 by 10 inches. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Jasper52 image

Man Ray (1890-1976) was born in Philadelphia but spent most of his career in Paris. He was a photographer, painter and filmmaker and played a role in both the Dada and Surrealist movements. Four Man Ray images are included in this Jasper52 auction.

Marilyn Monroe
Man Ray print, ‘Violon D’Ingres,’ 1930s, 7¼ x 9¼ inches. Estimate: $800-$1,000. Jasper52 image. Jasper52 image

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy’s gravure titled Solarized Figure could be mistaken for a work of Man Ray, who also used the photographic technique. Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as a professor in the Bauhaus school. He is known for the development of the photogram, a photograpic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The image in the Jasper52 auction is from a rare French portfolio printed in the 1930s.

Marilyn Monroe
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy print, ‘Solarized Figure,’ 1930s, 8¾ x 11½ inches. Estimate: $500-$600. Jasper52 image

Additional photographers whose works are included in the gravure auction include Edward Weston, Yousuf Karsh, Henri Cartier-Bresson, as well as a color image by American designer Charles Eames.

The Jasper52 Premium Gravures Auction will be conducted Wednesday, Jan. 16, starting at 4 p.m. Eastern time.

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