The auction, to take place on March 20 in London, is marketed as a “showcase” of the “very best in Modern British Art across the disciplines of paintings, works on paper, prints, photography, contemporary and studio ceramics and design”.
Estimates start from only £300, but the ‘queen’ pictures of fashion model Kate Moss, Princess Diana and The Queen are estimated in the thousands.
Sotheby’s has released the video below to promote the ‘queens’ ahead of the auction.
Kate Moss, Descending, (2007) by film director, screenwriter and composer Mike Figgis (b. 1948) was filmed in a deserted mansion for part of four short films created in 2007 for the lingerie brand Agent Provocateur titled Miss X. The giclee print, signed and numbered AP 2/2 from an edition of 10, is estimated at £40,000-60,000.
Patrick Demarchelier (b. 1943) Princess Diana, London (1990) estimated at £20,000-30,000.
Diana admired French fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier’s (b. 1943) work and, in 1989, commissioned him to photograph her, leading to his role as the first non-British official photographer for the royal family. His photographs of her graced Vogue magazine covers in 1991 and 1994. This silver print, flush-mounted on linen, signed and numbered 7/25 in pencil, Princess Diana (1990) is estimated at £20,000-30,000.
'Lightness of Being' (2010), by photographer Chris Levine (b. 1960) estimated at £12,000-18,000.
This picture of the queen with her eyes closed was described as a happy ‘accident’ by photographer Chris Levine (b.1960). He was commissioned to commemorate the Jersey’s 800th year of allegiance to the crown in a holographic portrait, a process that involved a high-resolution digital camera which moved along a rail taking 200 images over eight seconds. The queen was required to sit still for eight seconds at a time, and between the passes she closed her eyes to rest. Levine was struck by the beauty of her meditative state and snapped the shutter.
Lightness of Being (2010), a lenticular print from an edition of 200, is estimated at £12,000-18,000.
