![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Never have photography sales been so lucrative. New records were recently set at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips. The top lot from the various sales was Edward S. Curtis's portfolios (1868-1952): “The North American Indian” which fetched double its pre-sale high estimate at the incredible amount of USD 1.2 million.Of the three auction houses, Christie’s generated the highest revenue. From its three sales of photographs (10 to 12 October) – entitled respectively “The Gert Elfering Collection,” “Robert Mapplethorpe Flowers” and “Photographs” – Christie's generated USD 14.5 million. Of the total 409 lots on offer, 85% found buyers. The following major artists set new auction records at the Christie's sales: Richard Avedon (USD 464,000 with buyer premium), Irving Penn (USD 307,200), Robert Mapplethorpe (USD 352,000), Peter Beard (USD 192,000), Horst P. Horst (USD 216,000), as well as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Irving Penn and Brassaï.
These results illustrate the exceptional growth of the modern photography market. According to Artprice data, this segment's price index has risen 88% since October 2001. ( more details is under cut )
"It may be that the old astrologers had the truth exactly reversed, when they believed that the stars controlled the destinies of men. 
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
"In the 16th century artist and sculptor Giambologna needed 11 years to cut a sculpture from the boulders in the Medici gardens near Florence – a giant holding the head of a water-spouting monster under the ground using one hand.
