One Of The Most Important 20th-Century Photographs In Private Hands At Sotheby's
On 12 & 13 December 2012 Sotheby’s will present one of the world’s most significant privately owned photograph collections with the auction A Show Of Hands: Photographs From The Collection of Henry Buhl. The single owner sale explores the theme of the human hand, encompassing works from the art form’s early 19th century pioneers to the masters of 20th century photography and beyond. It was assembled over a period of 20 years by the visionary philanthropist and collector Henry M. Buhl and was the subject of a critically-acclaimed exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York in 2004. It has since been featured in many of the world’s most renowned institutions, from Moscow to Macau. The sale is led by Alfred Stieglitz’s Hands with Thimble from 1919 (est. $800,000/1.2 million), a study of the painter Georgia O’Keeffe’s expressive hands. The Buhl print is the only print of this iconic image not in the collection of a museum or institution and is one of the most important 20th-century photographs in private hands today. Overall, the auction will comprise approximately 437 lots and is estimated to bring $8/12 million, with 70% of the proceeds benefiting The Buhl Foundation.
Henry M. Buhl commented: “After ten years of collecting, ten major museum shows, and pre-sale exhibitions in cities throughout the US and Europe, the journey of the Buhl Collection is coming to an end. I have been thrilled to see so many collectors share my passion for this unique cross-section of the history of photography. The majority of the sale proceeds will go to the Buhl Foundation, which supports homeless men and women currently living in shelters throughout New York City, through A.C.E.—The Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless. I hope these photographs bring as much pleasure to their new owners as they did to me.”
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