The influential curator of MoMA and Princeton professor Peter C. Bunnell he was also among the most prescient collectors of his era. And his collection, to be considered deeply personal, is put together with a sense of joy and curiosity that includes both icons and lesser-known gems that span the history of photography.
Photographs from pioneering curator, scholar and teacher Peter C. Bunnell's collection will be offered in The Eye That Shapes, thePhillips' online auction is running until February 1st. All lots are sold without reserve and the sale will be visible at 432 Park Avenue for the duration of the online auction.
The Eye that Shapes is the second in a series of auctions dedicated to Peter C. Bunnell's collection, with the first taking place in October 2022.
Proceeds from the sales will be distributed to six institutions with which Bunnell was associated
And exactly: Rochester Institute of Technology, Ohio University, Yale University, The George Eastman Museum, The Museum of Modern Art and Princeton University Art Museum, to establish funds to support the study of the history of photography.
Over a long career at the Museum of Modern Art and Princeton University, Bunnell has built an outstanding collection that reflects his extensive and profound knowledge of photography. Begun in the 50s, before galleries and photo dealers were commonplace, the collection includes some exceptional rarities from his teacher and mentor Minor White, his friend Jerry Uelsmann, Harry Callahan, Barbara Morgan, W. Eugene Smith, Henri Cartier-Bresson and many other photographers who have touched his life or his sensibility in some important way.
Bunnel in his curatorial roles at the Museum of Modern Art and the Princeton University Art Museum, and as professor of the history of photography and modern art at Princeton, professionalized the study of the history of photography, bringing a higher degree of rigor and status to the medium and inspiring an entire generation of photographers and curators. Proceeds from the sale will be distributed to six institutions with which Bunnell was associated – Rochester Institute of Technology, Ohio University, Yale University, The George Eastman Museum, The Museum of Modern Art and the Princeton University Art Museum – to establish funds in support of the study of history of photography.
