A Positive View auction raises over £305,000
A Positive View photography auction raises over £305,000 for homelessness charity Crisis and Prince William meets homeless photographers at Christie's.
Crisis announces successful conclusion of A Positive View following the Christie's sale of vintage and contemporary photography
The homelessness charity Crisis announced today the successful conclusion of A Positive View following a packed auction at Christie's last night with 100% of the sales proceeds going to Crisis. The sale included works by masters such as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Yousuf Karsh and Corinne Day, as well as the Crisis Royal Diptych, created by Prince William and Crisis client Jeff Hubbard.
The auction was preceded by a Royal Gala Reception attended by A Positive View Patron Prince William. The Prince met guests, including members of Crisis, who have been studying photography at the Crisis Skylight, education, training and employment centres in London and Newcastle, and whose photographs were part of the exhibition and sale.
Co-hosted by Barclays Wealth and Vogue, the Royal Gala Reception and auction attracted a glittering array of photography celebrities and collectors including Rankin, David Furnish on behalf of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Sir David and Lady Tang.
Prior to the auction, Prince William signed the diptych with Jeff Hubbard, and spoke about the experience of making the photograph with Jeff and of his dedication to the homelessness cause. He commended the excellent work that Crisis does helping homeless people re-start their lives, and praised the photographs made by the Crisis members: "The work of the Crisis clients is really phenomenal, especially that their brilliance comes from such a standing start", the Prince said.
The dyptich was Lot No1 in the auction and was sold for £24,000 to an anonymous buyer.
Many of the works sold at well above their estimates and there was particularly fierce bidding over Richard Avedon's Veruschka and Suit by Antony Arland (1972) which eventually sold for £13,000. Other sale highlights included Mario Testino's stunning Sienna Miller, American Vogue (2006), which went for £6,500, Corinne Day's iconic and first-ever seen photograph of the supermodel Kate Moss, Kate (1990) for £3,800 and Horst Phorst's classic Mainbocher, Corset (1939) for £8,500.
Alongside works by classic and contemporary masters of photographer the sale also included signature works from Korea, china and West Africa by Seydou Keita, Yum Joongho, Bohn-Chang Koo and Weng Fen among others. Sales of these works were also strong with Gwon Osang's extraordinary photograph sculpture selling for £12,000.
The exhibition, which attracted record numbers of visitors to Somerset House throughout its five-week residency last month, was curated by Nadim Samman, and each of the works donated by the photographers, or their representatives and estates, were only included following a stringent selection process by Samman and A Positive View Patrons: Philippe Garner, International Head of Photographs at Christie's, and Tim Jefferies, Director of Hamilton's Gallery.
Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: "We are delighted that the third edition of A Positive View has raised £305,600 in aid of Crisis. The quality of the international work donated has been extraordinary and the generosity of the photographers and their representatives without rival. The exhibition provided a unique opportunity for our clients' creative achievements to be recognised on an international platform alongside the photographic greats. Prince William's interest in homelessness and generous involvement as patron was a key ingredient to the most impressive A Positive View yet. We now look forward to the next A Positive View with huge anticipation."
A 200-page fully-illustrated coffee-table book of A Positive View, is available for purchase from Somerset House, Christie's internationally, specialist art bookshops and online through Amazon.co.uk (£25). A limited edition, signed and numbered hardback edition is also available through Culturelabel.com (£100).
Editor's Notes
A Positive View
This is the third edition of A Positive View, a photography exhibition and auction founded by Andrew Page.
A Positive View was first held in London during 1994, sponsored by Vogue. The exhibition was held at the Saatchi Gallery and the auction
was hosted by Sotheby's. The event raised nearly £250k, benefiting the Chicken Shed Theatre Company. The Princess of Wales was Patron.
This success was followed by a second A Positive View in 2000, sponsored by Getty Images. The exhibition was held at the Atlantis
Gallery in the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, and the auction was hosted by Christie's, raising almost £250k for national youth charity
Fairbridge. Princess Alexandra was Patron.
Each exhibition featured over 200 donated and signed works, 120 of which were selected for auction. Images were attracted from 14
countries including the UK, America, Canada, Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Australia, India, Brazil, Peru and South Africa.
Works were donated by photographers, agents, galleries and foundations representing major names such as; Parkinson, Snowdon,
Erwitt, Hoyningen-Huene, Stern, Weber, Lucas, Alvarez-Bravo, Sirota, Demarchelier, Elgort, O'Neill, Lartigue, Ritts, Hanson, Deakin, Lagerfeld, Weegee, Penn, Weston, Horvat, Karsh, Miller, Hardy, Brandt, Salgado, Bailey, Arnold, Arentz, Moon, Donovan, Lategan.
Philippe Garner - Christie's
Philippe Garner is a Director of Christie's and the firm's International Head of Photographs and 20th Century Decorative Art & Design. He
has been professionally involved with photographs since co-ordinating the 1971 auction that marked the launch of this subject in the
international art market. In the intervening decades he has brought to auction a great diversity of material including major collections such as those of Marie Thérèse and André Jammes, Paul Walter, Gert Elfering and Leon Constantiner. Philippe is well known as a passionate advocate of the medium and has published widely on various aspects of photography that particularly interest him. He has curated exhibitions in London, Paris and Tokyo.
Crisis
Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and
campaigning for change.
The charity's award winning education, training and employment centres, Crisis Skylight, offer practical and creative workshops to over
3000 homeless people a year in an inspiring environment together with formal learning opportunities that lead to qualifications and finding work. The wide range of courses include art, drama, photography, literacy, numeracy and IT, help people to restore their well-being, regain confidence, develop their skills and raise aspirations.
Members of the photography class in both London and Newcastle have been trained to such a high standard that a selection of the best
photographs produced will be included in the exhibition. A booklet showcasing the background behind Crisis photographers and the tutors who helped them can be found here.
Sponsors
The profile and legacy of previous A Positive View exhibitions have attracted an impressive line-up of blue chip sponsors and supporters
ensuring all overheads are covered. 100% of all income will benefit Crisis
Sponsored by Barclays Wealth
Royal Gala Reception host Vogue
Gallery partner GlaxoSmithKlein
Book partner Samsung
International carrier FedEx
Private View supported by Finlandia Vodka
Contacts
For further information / Use of pictures / Interviews
Idea Generation: +44(0)20 7749 6850
Natasha Hoare: natasha@ideageneration.co.uk
Emily Airton: emily@ideageneration.co.uk
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