Irving Penn photographs fetch bigger bucks

As expected, the news of Irving Penn's death appeared to help drive up prices at an auction of photography at Christie's, New York yesterday. His photograph Cuzco Newsboy (above), which adorned the opening page of The First Post's picture essay to mark the photographer's death, went for nearly three times its upper pre-sale estimate.

The photograph, taken in Mexico in 1948, and presented as a gelatin silver print, went to an anonymous bidder for $72,100. The estimate was $15,000 - $25,000.

But the photo that beat all the others - there were 14 Penns for sale in total - was Chimney Sweep, London, one of a series of portraits Penn took of ordinary working people in New York, Paris and London in 1950. It fetched $74,500, way above the $10,000 - $15,000 estimate.

None of the pictures was among Penn's most iconic images, but they still fetched a total of $492,850, more than double the auction house's total lower estimate of $235,000.

"You can draw your own conclusions from the sale," said a Christie's spokesman, "but his market has been traditionally strong."

An exhibition of Penn's pictures of working men and women called 'Irving Penn: Small Trades' is currently on show at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, until January 10.

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