Photography from the beginnings to the present day

In the Photography auction, bidders were thrilled by the wide range on offer, from one of the first colour photographs in history to contemporary works. Lempertz thus confirmed its position as market leader in the field of photography auctions in Germany.

As expected, ‘Das Bäumchen’ by Albert Renger-Patzsch achieved the highest hammer price of the Photography auction with a result of 47,800 euro. It was only four years after taking the photograph, whilst teaching at the Folkwang School in Essen, that Renger-Patzsch discovered the technical possibilities for this large-format print measuring 53.3 x 38 centimetres.

One of the first colour photographs dates back to the early days of the medium - a photo of historical rarity. Using the interference technique, known as the Lippmann process, the physician and photography enthusiast Dr Richard Neuhauss set himself in the scene. The resulting self-portrait in the pose of a scholar with a strongly coloured red housecoat fetched 7,500 euros at auction and moves now to a museum.

In 1996, Peter Lindbergh photographed a fashion icon: ‘Nadja Auermann, Mojave Desert, California, USA’. Signed on the reverse and numbered 1/25, the example was worth 11,300 euros to the successful bidder.

The Evening Sale followed straight after the auction and featured Candida Höfer’s ‘Elbphilharmonie’ which brought 44,000 euro.

Kim In Sook's lightbox ‘Saturday Night’ from 2010 achieved the highest result overall in the Photography Department on the second day of the auction (5th June). Auctioned within the Day Sale, it sold for 55,000 euro.

Bernd and Hilla Becher have held one of the most influential positions in the field of artistic photography since the 1980s. Their ‘View Wassertürme’ was auctioned for 11,900 euro

I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Jan Bykowski
Press and Public Relations
info@lempertz.com
Tel. 0221 925729 -57