Photographs

Sotheby’s became the first international auction house to offer regular sales of Photographs in 1971 in London and 1975 in New York. For more than 50 years, our fine art photography auctions have presented exceptional works ranging from 19th-century salt prints and rare daguerreotypes to classic 20th-century images and cutting-edge contemporary works of the 21^st century.

Sotheby’s Photographs once again dominated the market in 2023. Pier 24 Photography from the Pilara Family Foundation Sold to Benefit Charitable Organizations, a multi-auction single-owner sale series, has achieved more than $12 million USD for the Foundation to date. New world records were set for 13 artists, including $952,500 for Robert Frank’s renowned Charleston, S. C. and $330,200 for Robert Adams’ Selected Images from Eden, Colorado.

At Sotheby’s we continue to see an ever-growing number of clients from around the globe competing for exceptional photographs. Across more than 40 auctions worldwide in 2023, Sotheby’s Photographs achieved top prices for works by artists such as Ansel Adams, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Irving Penn, Richard Prince, and Cindy Sherman. Sotheby’s continues to bring important 19^th century photographs to market; in September 2023 a unique set of 14 daguerreotypes of the officers of the ill-fated Franklin expedition from 1845 achieved 445,500 GBP, smashing its presale estimate of 150,000-200,000 GBP.

Our international team of specialists possess both passion and expertise, resulting in new world records for individual photographers each season. They excel at bringing new categories of work to market and continually redefine the criteria against which photographs and collections are judged. Major Photographs sales are held seasonally in New York and London.Exceptional photographs are also offered within the context of Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Art auctions in new York, London, Paris, Cologne, Milan, and Zurich. Independent of the auction calendar, Sotheby’s specialists work with collectors to build and refine their collections through discreet private sales throughout the year.