Appointment with photography on May 17 in London from Christie's. The most awaited lot is the portrait of Robert Mapplethorpe Ken Moody and Robert Sherman (1984, estimate: £ 70.000-90.000), two male heads placed in profile, immobile sculptures, plastic and at the same time imbued with classicism. Other prints of the image are in the collection of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York and The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Interesting are the large format images by Hiroshi Sugimoto and Desirée Dolron and Nick Brandt's iconic image Elephant Drinking (2007, estimate: £50.000-70.000).
Also present are works by Thomas Ruff, along with others from the Dusseldorf School, such as Candida Höfer and Axel Hütte. Wolfgang Tillman's Small Mental Picture (2000, estimate £30.000-50.000) is a unique work from the 'Mental Pictures' series of the iconic 'Freischwimmer' series.
A focal point for the auction are photographers who are pushing the boundaries of the art form. British Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj celebrates the vibrant synthesis of contemporary cultures through photography, performance and installations. Best known for his portrayals, Hajjaj has created an eclectic portfolio of diverse characters across multiple mediums. Through his My Rock Stars series Hajjaj celebrated a talent that was neither commercial nor mainstream. Instead, these works have focused attention on his friends or friends of friends such as Marques Toliver, 2009/1430 (2009, estimate: £4.000-6.000). Moving between the genres of portraiture, still life and landscape, Norwegian photographer Torbjørn Rødland has forged a unique style creating surreal and otherworldly images. Often dreamlike in nature, his works can be interpreted as playful critiques of the artificiality of today's internet-based image culture as in Nudist No. 8 (1999, estimate: £2.500-3.500). Additionally, Anja Niemi's haunting image, The Secretary (2013, estimate: £5.000-7.000) explores issues of female identity, artifice and hyperreality. Working alone as director, photographer and subject, she constructs carefully staged scenes shrouded in atmospheric ambiguity.
Image: Robert Mapplethorpe, Ken Moody and Robert Sherman (1984, estimate £70,000–90,000)
