«GOOD BUSINESS IS THE BEST ART»

The sale (nov 20) is also expected to confirm the resurrection of the photography market, which swooned with the economy before finding its footing. Avedon's early images, made over a half century ago, aimed for similar results in his beloved Paris.
"Avedon as much as anyone is really responsible for recreating the image of a vibrant Paris after World War Two when the economy was really in its doldrums and there was widespread poverty," Roth explained. One of Avedon's iconic fashion photographs of that era, "Dovima with elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'Hiver, Paris, August 1955," is estimated to sell for $500,000 to $700,000. It is the largest Avedon exhibition print in existence, and hung in Avedon's New York office for a quarter century. Avedon's celebrity photographs for sale include a vintage print of Marilyn Monroe, with an estimated price of $100,000 to $150,000 and another of Malcolm X which could sell for between $60,000 and $90,000. The image of a bare-chested Andy Warhol torso, face unseen, is riddled with scars and the bullet hole from his near-fatal shooting in the 1960s.
Avedon's rarely available Beatles set of four psychedelic portraits of John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are also being sold. These were last sold for a record $464,000 by Christie's five years ago.

-Reuters