London – Christie’s Photographs auction on 18 May 2017 will showcase the broad spectrum of those practising in the medium from icons of 20th century photography such as Richard Avedon, Guy Bourdin and Erwin Blumenfeld, to the fashion photographers Steven Meisel and Patrick Demarchelier as well as contemporary artists Richard Mosse, Taryn Simon and Julie Cockburn. Highlights include Helmut Newton’s Private Property Suites I, II and III, the complete set from his personal collection, that capture familiar faces from the worlds of art and fashion – Andy Warhol and David Hockney and the models Charlotte Rampling and Raquel Welch (1984, estimate: £200,000-300,000). A contact sheet by Brian Duffy documents David Bowie evolving into the character Aladdin Sane for the album of the same title (1973, estimate: £10,000-15,000) while Miles Davis is immortalised by Irving Penn as he makes the note C with his hand (1986, estimate: £70,000-90,000). A group of works by the Japanese contemporary artist Nobuyoshi Araki is presented alongside the unmistakable vision of William Eggleston seen in Untitled, (1971-2012, estimate: £80,000-120,000) and to coincide with the retrospective at Tate Britain the sale offers photographs by David Hockney. Prices in the auction range from £2,000 to £300,000, providing opportunities for collectors at every level. The works will be on view in London from 13 to 17 May 2017.

A focal point for the auction is photographers who are pushing the boundaries of the art form through innovative techniques and interventions. Richard Mosse’s Remain in Light (2015, estimate: £15,000-20,000) employs a discontinued military surveillance film stock called ‘Aerochrome Infrared III’ to capture the people and landscapes of the war-torn Eastern Congo. The film’s reflection of the infrared spectrum renders green tones in lush and startling hues of fuchsia, as in the undulating hills of the present work. Julie Cockburn’s unique practice supplies found photographs with new narrative possibilities, transforming her images into surreal, hybrid visions that cut across time and space. Turning to older images from the middle of the twentieth century, Cockburn embroiders them with geometric patterns in vivid colours, or produces kaleidoscopic digital edits that obliterate her subjects’ identities. From Taryn Simon’s celebrated 2007 project ‘An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar’, White Tiger (Kenny) displays her unerring ability to expose the unexpected and unknown that lie beneath the surface of everyday life.