Cindy Sherman, “Untitled Film Still #13”Last month at Christie’s this image of Sherman playing librarian fetched $905,000, three times the pre-sale estimate.
For a little perspective – in 1995, the Museum of Modern Art acquired a complete set of the “Film Stills” for $1 million.
Granted this particular print is unique in that it was the only one of the series produced in this size, making it very desirable to the collector, but it is also indicates the arrival of photography on the world stage of contemporary art.
In the collectible book world photography books are hot too. When the Modern First Edition field imploded with the dot com crash quite a few booksellers slid over to photography as an area of specialty. A wise move for sure though at times it feels like a “bubble” is forming here as well. There might be a correction in the not too distant future but I don’t see an all out implosion looming. Yes, there is some speculation inherent in any field of collecting but the cultural trend these days is toward the visual and as the younger generations come into the book collecting fold many will be attracted to image-heavy books.
Forbes piece on the auction – The $900,000 Librarian
In 1997 the Museum of Modern Art had an exhibition showcasing the entire series. Online version available here with select images. The MOMA exhibition was sponsored by Madonna.