On 31. May, more than 300 works of historic, classic and modern photography will be auctioned at VAN HAM Fine Art Auctions in Cologne. The works of famous national and international photographers of 19-21 century will be on offer.

Contemporary photography, in particular the works of so called Becher-school, is the main topic of this spring auction. Large sized works of the Becher-school are represented by Thomas Ruff (4,000-22,000 €), Candida Hoefer (2,500-3,800 €) and Claus Goedicke (2,200-5,800 €). Excellent black-and-white prints of Becher student Tata Ronkholz from the 1970es, who will be represented with her most typical works from the "Trinkhalle" and "Industrietore" (industry gates) (each one 1,200 €) series. International contemporary photography by photographers like Hiroshi Sugimoto (19,000 €), Miriam Bäckström (5,500 €), Sarah Jones (3,800 €) and Bettina Rheims (15,000 €) will be represented at auction.

The oeuvre of the photographer Renger-Patzsch will be represented by a unique series of his early photographs of plants (1,000-2,200 €). Some of them were published in his early publications "The world is beautiful" (1928), "Orchideas" (1924) and "Cactus" (1930). This works are from estate of the writer, who was a friend of Renger-Patzsch. 19 unpublished letters of the same provenance will be auctioned (2,400 €). As well the auction contains five early vintage prints from the 1920/30es. These photographs are imaged in his famous early publications "The Halligen" (1927), "The world is beautyfull" (1928) and "Hamburg" (1930).

The highlight of this spring auction is the peasant women portrait made by August Sander (6,500 €). This large sized print is dated 1913. Original prints of high-quality architectural images from the Hugo Schmölz studio in Cologne forms the traditional emphasis of our photography department. The brilliant photographs of architecture are estimated for the price of 600-1,200 €.

The artist's group "fotoform" are represented with works by Peter Keetmann (1,900-4,000 €), Toni Schneiders (1,400-1,800 €) and Ludwig Windstosser (2,000-2,300). A series by Heinrich Riebesehl (2,000-2,400) original prints is also worth mentioning here.

Very remarkable are two portraits made by famous fashion photographer Sir Cecil Beaton. One of them was printed by Erwin Blumenfeld (4,000 €). Beaton himself is depicted in two rare portraits by American surrealistic poet Charles Henri Ford (3,200 €) as well as in photographs of his travels to China 1945 (1,500 €) and portrait of Marilyn Monroe (2,200 €).

19th century photography is represented by a small but quality choice of pictures. Such like "Brig on the water" of Gustave Le Gray (9,000 €) and five large sized albumen prints of Carleton E. Watkins (each one 2,200 €). They show impressive landscape motives of the American west coast. Among those are two famous Yosemite Valley motives from 1860/70es.

Artists in auction

Abbott Berenice | Anonym | Anschütz Ottomar | Araki Nobuyoshi | Bäckström Miriam | Baldus Eduard Denis | Barker George | Bauhaus | Baur Max | Beaton Cecil | Becher Bernd und Hilla | Becker Boris | Bennett Derek | Bernard Bruno | Blair Alpha | Blum Günter | Blumenfeld Erwin | Boberg Oliver | Bocek Radovan | Bothner Robert | Brassai | Brenner Thomas | Burri René | Cartier-Bresson Henri | Chargesheimer [d.i. Karl-Heinz Hargesheimer] | Clausen Rosemarie | Creifelds Theodor Johann Hubert | Crewdson Gregory | Demand Thomas | Erfurt Stephan | Erfurth Hugo | Erwitt Elliott | Evans Walker | Finkelstein Nat | Fischer Peter | Flach Hannes Maria | Fleischmann Trude | Florschuetz Thomas | Frith Francis | Fuchs Bernhard | Garnell Jean-Louis | Giacomelli Mario | Gillhausen Rolf Herbert | Goedicke Claus | Graham Tim | Grames Eberhard | Grossman Henry | Gundlach F.C. | Haas Ernst | Halsman Philippe | Harvey Harold L. | Haviland Paul Burty | Hegger Joh. | Helbig Konrad | Heller Frank J. | Hellnwein Gottfried | Henle Fritz | Hoch Matthias | Höfer Candida | Horst Horst P. | Hourmat Helene | Hoxie George Richmond | Huth Walde | Jones Sarah | Jordan Dr. J. Murray | Kahn R.T. | Keetman Peter | Kirchner André | Klauke Jürgen | Klein Astrid | Kolár Viktor | Lahmer Bernadette | Lauterbach-Baenisch Ruth | Lazi Adolf | Lazi Franz | Le Gray Gustave | Leaf Earl | Lebeck Robert | List Herbert | Mährlen Hermann | Man Ray (Emanuel Rudnitzky) | Mayer Maix | Maywald Willy | McCoy Dan | Meffert Barbara | Meier Günter | Misrach Richard | Morgan Barbara | Moses Stefan | Mühlenbeck Holger | Newman Arnold | Nieweg Simone | Overbeck Arnold | Perauer Emil | Perkhammer Heinz von | Perscheid Nicola | Peters Karl | Prinz Bernhard | Quinn Edward | Rautert Timm | Relang Regina | Renger-Patzsch Albert | Residenz Studio Wien | Rheims Bettina | Riebesehl Heinrich | Ronkholz Tata | Roth Sanford | Ruff Thomas | Sander August | Sandmann L. | Sasse Jörg | Saudek an | Schilling Heiner | Schmitz Walter | Schmölz Hugo | Schmölz Hugo / Erfurt Hugo | Schmölz Karl Hugo | Schneiders Toni | Scholz Carl | Schulke Flip | Schwartz Johannes | Seymour David | Sheehan III Robert F. | Simonett Dino | Söhn Julius | Starkey Hannah | Stenvert Curt | Sturges Jock | Stwolinski H. von | Sugimoto Hiroshi | Swiridoff Paul | Taber Photo | Täubner Wilfried | Teske Anja | Toth Franz | Tritschler Alfred | Underwood & Underwood | Vaccaro Tony | Vaughan Ian | von Kruse Ingrid | Wargacki Thomas | Watkins Carleton Eugene | Werres Leni | Windstosser Ludwig | Wolf Reinhart | Wolff Paul | Wolff PaulTritschler Alfred | Würthle Friedrich Karl | Zeller Martin