Successful debut at Leica Galery Vienna: “Gestures” auction yields 66,000 euros for Nan Goldin photograph.

On the evening of October 18, Austrian auction house Leitz Photographica Auction welcomed bidders to an auction featuring historically significant photographs spanning the past one hundred years of photographic history. For the first time, the event took place directly in the Leica Gallery Vienna, where all lots could be viewed in a respective exhibition two weeks beforehand. Both exhibition and auction were dedicated to the diversity of human gestures and thus aptly titled ‘Gestures’. Icons of pop culture, monumental landscapes and memorable snapshots of reportage photography were also auctioned. The highlight of the auction was the piece ‘Jimmy Paulette on David's Bike’ by Nan Goldin, which was sold at a price of 66,000 euros including buyer’s premium.

Vienna, 23 October 2024. Gestures, both in the literal and metaphorical, were the central motif of this year’s photography auction organized by Leitz Photographica Auction. In their entirety, the works offered for sale reflected the immense diversity of the history of photography, bringing together a wide range of styles, perspectives, and subjects from this wide-ranging art form: The most recent photographs of date from the 2020s, the oldest from the 1920s.
“Our auction house specializes in rarities from the entire real of photography. Anyone interested in vintage cameras, historical camera accessories and rare photographs is in the right place with us. The more than one hundred lots of ‘Gestures’ proved just how fascinating and diverse the comparatively young medium of photography is,’ comments Alexander Sedlak, Managing Director of Leitz Photographica Auction.
 

A time travel on the bike saddle
Spearheading the many highlights of exhibition and auction was Nan Goldin’s “Jimmy Paulette on David’s Bike”, a photograph that also appears on the cover of the new, expanded edition of Goldin's iconic illustrated book The Other Side, originally published in 1993. It’s a self-assured gaze into the future. A future in which transgender people and drag queens – whom Goldin portrayed in “The Other Side”, a bar in Boston, from the early 1970s onwards – have conquered a place in society, pop culture and mainstream.
“The photograph, taken in 1991, depicts Goldin’s close friends Jimmy and David, carefree as they ride through the streets of New York City. Jimmy sits on the rear rack of the bicycle, looking boldly and confidently into Goldin’s camera, as if already sensing that the self-determination of gender and identity will one day no longer be an illusion. This striking image encapsulates the most significant attributes of Goldin’s work: the intimacy of her portraits, the authenticity of her subjects, and the subtle yet powerful engagement with social and political issues”, says Caroline Guschelbauer. ‘Jimmy Paulette on David's Bike’ was auctioned at a final price of 66,000 euros including premium.
 

A stylish appearance on the ice, captured by Alfred Eisenstaedt
While Nan Goldin symbolised the dawn of a new era with this work, Alfred Eisenstaedt's ‘Ice Skating Waiter’ shows a world that seems forgotten today. In St. Moritz in 1931, head waiter René Breguet appears elegantly dressed and is skating on the ice rink of the Grand Hotel St. Moritz, balancing a tray with a champagne bottle and glasses. Breguet is said to have exhibited such mastery of this skill that he could leap over chairs without spilling a single drop. The photograph is part of a series of pictures that Alfred Eisenstaedt finally published in ‘LIFE Magazine’ in 1936 – after his emigration from Germany. The photograph was worth 7,800 euros including premium to one bidder.

Photographs in October, cameras in November
From the 107 lots offered in total, those that were not sold can still be purchased in the After Sale which runs until 15 November. Shortly afterwards, on 23 November 2024, the next auction organised by Leitz Photographica Auction will follow – the 45th edition of the eponymous Leitz Photographica Auction, the world's most important auction series for cameras and camera accessories.
Press photos, terms of use:
Please note the copyright indicated in the image title. Use of the press photos in connection with coverage of the exhibition/auction ‘Gestures’ at the Leica Gallery Vienna is free. The press photos may only be used in the context of coverage on the exhibition/auction. The press photos must not be edited, cropped or superimposed with text.
For more detailed information please visit www.leitz-auction.com and www.classic.leica-camera.com.

Press inquiries:
Leonard Häusler-Dworschak
Yield Public Relations
Tel.: +43 676 50 22 609
Mail: l.haeusler-dworschak@yield.at