David Bailey

Famous Roman Polanski Nude Photo Up for Auction

A famous nude photograph of Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate taken by David Bailey in 1969 will be auctioned off during Christie's Photographs sale in New York on Dec. 7. Estimated at $8,000 - $12,000, it's likely to go higher given the current media glare surrounding the controversial director. At press time, Polanski, whose films include Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown and The Pianist, was granted $4.5 million bail after being held in a prison in Switzerland on charges relating to a 32-year-old case in which he admitted to having sex with a minor. In 1978, Polanski fled the U.S. rather than face sentencing in a Los Angeles court, and has lived as a fugitive in France ever since. Tate was murdered in L.A. by members of Charles Manson's gang not long after the photograph was taken.

Tags: celebrity, Christies, David Bailey, DavidBailey, photography, Roman Polanski, RomanPolanski

Bardot, Beatles & Monroe Star in Sotheby's Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

The buzz at big photo auctions lately has been all about nude supermodels. Perfectly understandable, of course, but how many times can you really stand to see Gisele naked? (OK, no need to answer that). At Sotheby's latest photo sale in London on Tuesday, we're pleased to see some stunning images on offer which while short on supermodel cleavage nonetheless have plenty of appeal. Take for instance this portrait of the beautiful Brigitte Bardot taken by Terry O'Neill 1971 with an estimate of $8,000 - $12,000. Not one of the more expensive items on offer, but worth every penny in our estimation.

Also included in the amazing auction is Helmut Newton's 1975 photo of Elsa Peretti, est. $24,000 - $30,000, and his 1987 portrait of Jodie Foster, est. $14,000 - $18,000; Andy Warhol's Polaroid of Muhammad Ali taken in 1977, est. $10,000 - $14,000; David Bailey's 1969 double portrait of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, est. $20,000 - $30,000; and a recent print made from Bert Stern's famed Marilyn Monroe series (recently aped by Lindsay Lohan), est. $6,000 - $8,000. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: Sotheby's Photo Auction Stars