Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Celebrity Portraiture To Be Sold To The Highest Bidder

Photographs of the world’s most glamorous girls and rock ’n’ roll legends, snapped by the leading photographers of this generation will be on public view in London this week at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions saleroom in Mayfair. The exhibition and subsequent auction, entitled Photo Opportunities will commence at 2pm on Friday 28th February, at the same venue.

Jimi Hendrix performing in 1967
Jimi Hendrix performing in 1967
A photograph of Drew Barrymore lying on red fabric, taken by Mark Seliger in 2000 and a second of Jessica Alba, also by Seliger, are together estimated at £1,200-1,500. [Lot 266]

The leading celebrity portrait photographer has snapped the rich and famous for Rolling Stone magazine, GQ and Vanity Fair for more than 20 years along with writing books and directing music videos for the likes of Willie Nelson and Elvis Costello.

Renowned for communicating a story in photographs full of character, Seliger has set himself as a celebrity name in his own right. He described his role in an interview with GQ as; “to provide a place where people can come that’s calm, a surrounding that the subject would understand. My intention is to be a chameleon. I don’t have any real interest in exposing myself – what I’m really trying to do is engage in a relationship where my subject can feel involved in the process and the outcome.”

Talking to the New York Post in 2011 about Drew Barrymore, Seliger said: “Drew and I have this really special connection. Drew’s great because she is Hollywood. She’s the great muse because she can be a chameleon. She loves to connect to a role and an idea and a story line. And she’s gorgeous. She’s got great lips, a great attitude and great body, which all makes a great story line, too.”

Also by Seliger are two prints, one of Jennifer Lopez in an artist’s studio, 2002, and the other of Britney Spears, 2001, they are offered together with an estimate of £1,200-1,500. [Lot 265]

A black and white photograph of Jimi Hendrix performing in 1967 was taken by photographer Jim Marshall. Marshall, who died in March 2010, was famous for capturing iconic and intimate images of musicians, an ability he himself put down to trust; “Whenever anyone asks me how I got the photographs that I did, why I was often the only photographer present or got such unique access, I reply simply, ‘trust’.”

He famously photographed Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar at the Monterey International Pop Music Festival in 1967, and joined The Rolling Stones on their historic 1972 tour. Dedicating his life to his art, Marshall once said: “I have no kids…my photographs are my children.” The photograph of Hendrix is estimated at £600-800. [Lot 248]

Also included in the sale are striking photographs of Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Led Zepplin, Syd Barrett and Deborah Harry. The sale will be on public view at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions’ Mayfair Saleroom from Sunday 23rd February until the auction on Friday 28th February. The catalogue is available to view online at www.bloomsburyauctions.com