Diane Arbus

Rare Leica to be Auctioned Off for Freedom of the Press

On Saturday, Vienna-based auction house WestLicht Photographica will auction the first M8 digital camera ever produced by world-famous firm Leica, worth an estimated $30,000 - $45,000, with the proceeds going to freedom of the press foundation Reporters Without Borders. The M8 is just one of the beautiful and highly collectible Leicas -- the favored camera for famous photogs ranging from Henri Cartier Bresson and Diane Arbus to Nan Goldin -- on offer in the sale. Also included is an extremely rare M3 prototype c.1952, one of the most important cameras in Leica's history, est. $90,000 - $110,000; a unique olive painted IIIg made as a model for the German Army in 1960, est. $80,000 - $110,000; and one of our favorites, the 1955 M3 in black paint pictured here, est. $20,000 - $25,000. And if you're German's a little rusty, don't worry - you can place bids online with LiveAuctioneers.com.

Gallery: WestLicht Photographica Auction

Tags: Cameras, Diane Arbus, DianeArbus, Germany, Henri Cartier Bresson, HenriCartierBresson, Leica, Leica M8, LeicaM8, LiveAuctioneers.com, Nan Goldin, NanGoldin, Reporters Without Borders, ReportersWithoutBorders

More Nude Supermodels on the Auction Block

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Following Christie's' successful photo auction earlier this month where a nude of First Lady of France Carla Bruni fetched $91,000, the auction house is staging another sale of stunning images in a couple of weeks. The eye-popping event, taking place in London on May 15, features another photo by Michel Comte, who took the Bruni pic. The new one is of Brazilian bombshell Gisele Bundchen from 1999, and carries an estimate of $12,000 - $16,000.

Also included is an Albert Watson portrait of Kate Moss from 1993 (pictured here, est. $16,000 - $20,000), a Peter Beard photo of Salvador Dali in 1963 (est. $24,000 - $35,000), Richard Avedon's iconic 1981 image of Nastassja Kinski and a friendly boa constrictor (est. $30,000 - $40,000), and Lewis Morley's famous 1963 shot of Christine Keeler (est. $8,000 - $12,000), the model who was at the crux of a famous British government scandal in the '60s.

In addition, there are works by Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, and William Eggleston on offer. The 115-lot auction is expected to bring in over $3 million.

[via Men.Style]

Gallery: London Photo Auction