Irving Penn: Small Trades Lots 82-85 are examples of Penn’s Small Trades portraits—images that constitute one of the most extensive series of his career, continuing up until his death in 2009. Not only did Penn return to these subjects year after year but he also travelled between New York, Paris, and London in order to continue the project. In each city, Penn was able to find unique characters that embodied the working culture of their city—from a cheeky balloon merchant in Paris to a stalwart butcher and chummy fishmonger in London. After originally sharing the series with viewers through the pages of Vogue, Penn turned to the platinum-palladium printing process in order to extensively manipulate each image to his liking, resulting in richness, warmth and dimension that was limited in the gelatin silver process. The images encapsulate Penn’s signature style, depicting tradespeople posed against a seamless, mottled grey backdrop and modeled with natural light. In bringing each worker into the studio, Penn was able to highlight the individual and draw out their personality—making each portrait as much an earnest depiction of character as a portrayal of a trade. Penn recollects, 'I preferred the limited task of dealing only with the person himself, away from the accidentals of his daily life, simply in his own clothes and adornments, isolated in my studio. From himself alone I would distill the images I wanted, and the cold light of day would put it onto the film' (Hambourg, Rosenheim, et al., Irving Penn: Centennial, p. 173).
IRVING PENN (1917–2009) Marchande des Ballons, Paris, 1950
Price Realised USD 30,000
Estimate
USD 25,000 - USD 35,000
Estimates do not reflect the final hammer price and do not include buyer's premium, any applicable taxes or artist's resale right. Please see the Conditions of Sale for full details.
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IRVING PENN (1917–2009)
Marchande des Ballons, Paris, 1950
Price Realised USD 30,000
Price Realised USD 30,000
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Lot 82
Sale 19581
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Marchande des Ballons, Paris, 1950
IRVING PENN (1917–2009)
Estimate: USD 25,000 - 35,000
Bid amount
Buyer's premium
Estimated total cost exclusive of duties