Passion & Humanity: The Susie Tompkins Buell Collection

Along with its first Photographs auction of the year, Phillips also hosted the sale of photographs from a private collection (The Susie Tompkins Buell Collection): 58 lots of sepia-toned photographs from artists such as Dorothea Lange, Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham. 

Estimates ranged from $2,000 to $600,000 with the auction realising a sales total of $2,608,625.

The most expensive photograph was Edward Weston’s Circus Tent, which had an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000 and sold for an extra $188,000 at $788,000. Tina Modotti’s Telephone Wires, Mexico was the second most expensive print selling for almost double its top estimate of $250,000-$350,000 by selling for $692,000.

Rounding out the top three was Edward Steichen’s Heavy Roses, Voulangis, France (featured) with a hammer price of $524,000 after an original estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. 

View all results at Phillips’ Passion and Humanity webpage here