art Three times Peterson, study for the fashion page by erwin blumenfeld

picture perfect Fashion photography, classic and contemporary, is more covetable than ever for savvy collectors. ByShirine Saad

ctober 7, 2009, was a sad economic climate. In 2008, Penn’s iconic tography was the stepchild of collecting day: died, 1950 black-and-white Vogue cover image when we opened in 1981,” says Taki Wise, marking the end of the of Jenn Patchett sold for US$481,000, co-owner of Staley-Wise Gallery in New golden era of modern while the week of Penn’s death saw sev- York, which has one of the world’s largest fashion photography. eral of his lesser pictures sell for a total collections of fashion images. “But more Along with Richard of more than US$492,000 at Christie’s. recently it has taken centre stage because Avedon and Helmut For an expanding group of fashion pho- it isn’t looked down upon the way it used Newton, Penn energized tography collectors, scoring an image to be. We always thought, There’s so fashion image-making after from the master of poetic composition much good commercial photography, so the Second World War, liberating is invaluable. why not show it? These images are edited models from dusty aristocratic settings But these types of works weren’t by art directors, photographers, stylists and infusing them with the democratic always a serious collector’s objet de désir. and makeup artists at the top of their vigour of the emerging pop culture. Until the early ’80s, fashion photos craft. The combination of people coming While Penn’s admirers mourned, dealers were seen as commercial pictures that together creates such interesting images.” were anticipating the already high prices belonged only in magazines, and they Great fashion photographs show much for his work to soar despite the bleak were seldom sold as prints. “Fashion pho- more than just the clothes; they create » photography courtesy of corkin gallery

50 FASHION | summer 2010 fashionmagazine.com art courtesy of the national portrait museum/the irving

left: untitled by miles aldridge. Above: Dovima, evening dress by fath, studio, august 1950 by harlequin dress a phantasmagorical universe, often mans revolutionized fashion photography photography exhibitions held at the Vic- questioning the roles of the body, by questioning its elitism, shooting their toria & Albert Museum, MoMA, the Jeu sexuality, consumerism and beauty in own grungy lifestyles and anti-traditional de Paume and galleries around the world. society. Some images, like Newton’s ideals of beauty. The ’90s saw increasing In 2009, New York’s prestigious Interna- Sie Kommen (Naked and Dressed) of crossovers between art and fashion—art- tional Center of Photography showcased 1981 and Steven Klein’s 2003 Madonna ists like Nan Goldin and Cindy Sherman images by Avedon and contemporary Unbound series in W, have become borrowed from the language of fashion photographers including Klein, Mert icons of a cultural moment. image-making, while photographers Alas and Marcus Piggott, and Sølve like Teller, Inez van Lamsweerde and Sundsbø in Year of Fashion. This spring s photography, once consid- Vinoodh Matadin started selling prints and summer, the National Portrait ered inferior to painting and to collectors. Fashion photography began Gallery in London is commemorating

sculpture, became a critically to be viewed as a deeply creative form Irving Penn; images of Grace Kelly in courtesy of the richard avedon foundation;

acclaimed art form in the ’80s, and a powerful mirror of culture. Muse- her dashing attire are on view at the t 1950 collectors’ interest rose. Auction ums and galleries welcomed more of it V&A; and The Costume Institute at The houses and galleries began to onto their once hostile walls, and hedge Metropolitan Museum of Art is showing

sell famous early fashion shots funders competed to get their hands on American Woman, an exhibition about udio, augus t by Horst P. Horst and Cecil beautifully produced nudes of Kate Moss, the evolution of style from 1890 to 1940. Beaton, and mid-century images by Gisele Bündchen and Naomi Campbell. Apart from its inherent aesthetic aris s h, p Avedon, Newton and Penn. Later in The turn of this century marked a new value, fashion photography is now also a t the decade, young upstarts like Juergen era of critical respectability, with a flurry good investment. Though it’s still a new Teller, Corinne Day and Wolfgang Till- of contemporary and classical fashion category in the market, prices have » bogota, 2008, courtesy of baudoin lebon ovima, evening dress by fa D cameraless camera, by miles aldridge/trunk archive; led t i t n U photography: left: harlequin dress (lisa fonssagrives-penn) penn foundation/condÉ nast publications inc.; new york, 1950, by irving penn. Above: Cameraless Camera, Bogota, 2008, by joel-peter witkin

52 FASHION | summer 2010 fashionmagazine.com art below: Zazie, Hamburg (Stern) by peter knapp. right: untitled by richard bernardin courtesy of corkin gallery barbara avec une main risen steadily in the past few years. Prints “Fashion photographs have moved from Erwin Blumenfeld and Lillian Bassman. are easy to store and transport, and the back of the sales catalogue to the The images have increased in value in what’s more decorative than a fashion front,” says Matthieu Humery, special- just a few years. Montreal stylist Annie image? While a Newton print can fetch ist and head of sale for photographs at Horth has collaborated with Creative up to US$660,000, contemporary works Christie’s New York. “Fashion images Flats’ Nathalie Bouchard to decorate by Ellen von Unwerth or Paolo Roversi really make people dream. They are her furnished rental condos with sell at around US$3,000, a relatively much more impulsive buys than concep- prints from a variety of photographers, modest sum for art collectors. “If you tual art, for example.” including Horth’s Montreal fashion look at auction results from the past photographer friends Richard Bernar- courtesy of michael hoppen gallery; 10 years, fashion work at auction has ou don’t have din and Jean-Claude Lussier. These anic been doing much better than it ever to be an expert to cost between $500 and $1,000, and p has,” says TheN ew Yorker art critic and start buying fashion now Horth is considering purchasing adjunct curator Vince Aletti, “and it has photographs. When Avedon and Penn prints. been getting the kind of attention from Toronto dermatologist While many critics maintain that a serious collectors that it wouldn’t have Sandy Skotnicki decided to Prada ad doesn’t belong in a museum, gotten a decade before because there’s start a collection in 2002, she Aletti insists that good fashion images enough perspective on it now.” went to gallerist Jane Corkin can be very powerful. “The best fashion Last April, while the art market took for advice. Corkin, whose world-class photography is art,” he says. “I’ve often a serious beating from the crash, a collection includes hundreds of photo- said that I can go to an afternoon of fashion photography sale at Christie’s graphs from the likes of Penn, Avedon, photo shows in Chelsea, and go back fetched over US$4 million, over 10 Klein and Canadian Nigel Scott, helped home and find more interesting pictures per cent above the high-end estimate. Skotnicki acquire glamorous images by in a magazine.” » by richard bernardin courtesy of the artist; led t i t n

left: panic by ellen von U unwerth. below: barbara avec une main by nigel scott ) courtesy of baudoin lebon; ern St ( amburg ie, H z Za photography:

54 FASHION | summer 2010 fashionmagazine.com art clockwise from left: untitled by miguel jacob; untitled by richard bernardin; lucile brokaw, piping rock beach, long island by martin munkacsi

HOW TO BUY There are different approaches to collect- ing. Some people buy only from galleries

they trust. Others like the thrill of auc- courtesy of the metropolitan museum of art/martin munkacsi estate/courtesy of howard tions, but risk buying overvalued art in the heat of the moment. And for some, the value doesn’t matter, just the beautiful Toronto image on their wall. “I never sell pictures Corkin Gallery 55 Mill St., Bldg. 61, 416- for an investment,” says Taki Wise. “We 979-1980, corkingallery.com Look for: encourage people to buy a picture that Richard Avedon, Irving Penn

they’re happy to live with and that hope- One800 800 Dundas St. W., 416-778- ing rock beach, long island p fully will become a good investment.” If 9777, one800gallery.blogspot.com Look i $3,000, the average starting price for con- for: George Whiteside, Miguel Jacob, temporary photography, is too high a sum, Chris Nicholls, Michael Williams check out the work of up-and-coming photographers in indie magazines, local New York lucile brokaw, p galleries and on websites. A few interest- Staley-Wise 560 Broadway, 3rd floor, ing Canadian names to consider are Ishi 212-966-6223, staleywise.com Look in Toronto, Richard Bernardin in Mon- for: Horst P. Horst, Lillian Bassman, treal and Raphael Mazzucco, now based Ellen von Unwerth, Louise Dahl- in New York. Wolfe, Patrick Demarchelier, David Novice collectors may find the process LaChapelle intimidating. A first step is to do some Pace/MacGill 32 E. 57th St., 9th floor, research in fashion magazines to narrow or iconic ? Is the image showing a 212-759-7999, pacemacgill.com Look for: down a few areas of interest. Do you feel particularly important dress or jewel? Irving Penn compelled by Juergen Teller’s grunge While some collectors choose to focus Lehmann Maupin 540 W. 26th St., 212- aesthetic? Are you fascinated by Steven on an area of expertise—images from the 255-2923, lehmannmaupin.com Look

Meisel’s elegant compositions or Steven ’60s, say, or nudes—others build eclectic for: Juergen Teller by richard bernardin courtesy of the artists;

Klein’s clinical images? These are three personal collections. And many mix fash- led t i of the best living fashion photographers, ion photography with non-commercial London t but there are many others. After deciding photographs, sculptures and paintings. Michael Hoppen Gallery 3 Jubilee Pl., un on a budget, talk to experts in galleries 0207-352-3649, michaelhoppengallery. and auction houses to build a better under- WHERE TO BUY com Look for: Annie Leibovitz, Martin standing of the options. The price of a pho- Christie’s and Sotheby’s are good places Munkacsi, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, tograph is determined by many factors: to go for auctions, but small galleries Sarah Moon, Ellen von Unwerth the shooter, the number of editions, the around the world have great collections by miguel jacob and led quality of the print and the size. Prices can and valuable experience. Paris t i t

also be affected by market speculations Baudoin Lebon 38 Sainte Croix de la un and the economic climate. Some questions Montreal Bretonnerie St., 014-272-0910, baudoin- to ask: Has the artist, or the photo, been Galerie de Bellefeuille 1367 Greene Ave., lebon.com Look for: Peter Knapp, Joel- critically celebrated? Has it been exhibited, 514-933-4406, debellefeuille.com Look Peter Witkin, images from the Comtesse photography: and if so, where? Is the subject a celebrity for: David Drebin de Castiglione archive greenberg gallery, new york

56 FASHION | summer 2010 fashionmagazine.com