
Sotheby’s Photography Auctions
I have been following Sotheby’s and other auction houses for photography auctions. They give me a chance to see photographs that I have no chance of seeing. After the auction, I can buy the exhibit catalog on eBay for $10-15. They are printed at high quality with all the relevant information about the photograph and the photographer. I have accumulated about 30 such catalogs and expect to add more as new auctions take place.
I registered at Sotheby’s. When a new photo auction is coming up, I receive an e-mail alert with links to the auction information. On the auction site, I can see the photographs online, and later see a PDF catalog and even save it.
The Polaroid Collection
The latest auction, Photographs From The Polaroid Collection, is a significant one in two respects. First, the collection itself is rich with unique Polaroid photographs by the icons of the art form. Second, it comes from the past of a company that played a significant role in photography and photographic art. Regrettably, the auction is a bankruptcy auction. I have viewed hundreds of photographs from Ansel Adams, Paul Caponigro, William Wegman, Imogene Cunningham, and many others on the auction site. I recommend a visit there. You will not be disappointed.
The Photographs From The Polaroid Collection landing page (inactive link removed) gives a brief explanation about the auction. Towards the bottom of the page, there is a link to a video that you may want to watch before starting to view the “E-Catalogue,” which will show the photographs in many different ways.
The zoom view displays a large version of the photograph on a clean background. I captured many of these for future viewing and studying. Below is a small collection of the photographs I have seen and saved. When viewing them on the auction site, to view them as large as possible, press F11 to maximize your browser viewport. It will hide the menu and toolbars, leaving you with a large browser window. You can navigate from one image to the next by using the right and left arrow keys on your keyboard.
Enjoy!