Lillian Bassman - Tailor-Made: Fashion Photographs from the Collection of Peter Fetterman New York Thursday, June 18, 2020 | Phillips

Tailor-Made: Fashion Photographs from the...

Online Auction 18 - 25 June 2020 

  • Provenance

    Acquired directly from the photographer

  • Literature

    Harry N. Abrams, Lillian Bassman: Women, p. 70

  • Catalogue Essay

    Lillian Bassman’s work constitutes a singular voice in post-war fashion photography. In defiance of nearly every photographic trend of the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, Bassman made highly stylized images in which mood, atmosphere, and gesture embody elegance and style. Bassman was a protégé of legendary art director Alexey Brodovitch, and her photographs appeared in Harper’s Bazaar and Seventeen. Her mastery of darkroom technique helped her define “a new kind of vision aside from what the camera saw.” Using the images captured on her negatives as a starting point, she would then blur, bleach and stain her prints to realize her full vision. Bassman's deft handling of light and shadow are also key to her distinct style, creating images that breathe with movement, texture and depth.

2

Lillian Bassman

At Le Pavillon: Mary Jane Russell in a dress by Paul Sachs and hat by Lily Daché at Le Pavillon, New York

1950
Gelatin silver print, printed later.
18 1/2 x 13 5/8 in. (47 x 34.6 cm)
Signed in ink and numbered 8/25 in pencil on the photographer's label affixed to the verso.

Estimate
$5,000 - 7,000 

Sold for $6,250

Contact Specialist

Sarah Krueger
Head of Department, Photographs

+1 212 940 1245

Tailor-Made: Fashion Photographs from the Collection of Peter Fetterman

Online Auction 18 - 25 June 2020