Ruth Orkin - Photographs New York Wednesday, October 11, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Ruth Orkin’s Bike Trip series, the subject of curator and art historian Clément Chéroux's current exhibition at Fondation Henri-Cartier Bresson in Paris, captures the fierce independence and intrepid spirit which would define her career as a photographer and filmmaker. Orkin embarked on the solo journey at just 17, travelling from the Pacific to the Atlantic with her camera, her bicycle, and $25. The numerous self-portraits Orkin took on this monumental journey prophesize American Girl in Italy, an iconic study of a woman travelling alone, but reflect her intimate approach to the medium of photography.

     

    Fondation Henri-Cartier Bresson’s exhibition, Ruth Orkin: Bike Trip, USA, 1939, opened on 19 September and will be on view through 14 January 2024.

    • Provenance

      Directly from the Ruth Orkin Photo Archive, New York

54

My bike shadow & me on a San Francisco Hill

1938
Gelatin silver print.
7 1/2 x 9 1/4 in. (19.1 x 23.5 cm)
Signed, titled, dated, and annotated 'Pilot 6 camera, #16' in pencil on the mount; copyright credit, credit '65 Central Park West,' '"A Photo Journal" Ruth Orkin' stamps and address label affixed to the reverse of the mount.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
$2,000 - 3,000 

Sold for $6,985

Contact Specialist

Sarah Krueger
Head of Department, Photographs
skrueger@phillips.com

 

Vanessa Hallett
Worldwide Head of Photographs and Chairwoman, Americas
vhallett@phillips.com

Photographs

New York Auction 11 October 2023