Ilse Bing (1899-1998)

Champs Elysee, Paris, 1931

Matte-surface gelatin silver print, printed 1987

Signed & dated in white ink on recto; signed, titled & dated in graphite on verso

Print size: 14 x 11 inches

Mat size: 20 x 16 inches

Illustrated: Ilse Bing, Paris 1931-1952, Paris Musee, 1987, fig. 8

Provenance: The Estate of Ilse Bing

Condition: Some scuffing in upper right corner, visible only in raking light

IBMA 145.2

Retail: $5000

A vintage print of this image recently sold at Sotheby's, New York FOR $6875.00:

Sotheby’s, Photographs  02 OCTOBER 2013, Lot 136

ILSE BING, 1899-1998, ARBRE ET CHAISE AUX CHAMPS ELYSÉES, signed and dated in ink on the image, hinged to a mount with the photographer's 'Foto Ilse Bing 1931' stamp, 1931, 11 1/4  by 8 3/4  in. (28.6 by 22.2 cm.)

$6,875

BIO:

 

Ilse Bing was born in 1899 in Frankfurt, Germany. She studied art history and mathematics at the universities of Frankfurt and Vienna in the late 1920s. In order to finish her dissertation, she bought a Leica camera and taught herself photography; she fell in love with the art form and by 1930 she was living in Paris and working as a freelance photographer. Along with her assignments, she was also exhibiting her work in important shows and galleries. With the threat of fascism looming, Ilse Bing fled to America where she had to start anew. She found work as a photographer doing portraits, fashion studies and picture essays.

Ilse Bing was never afraid to experiment and try new techniques and she did so throughout her career. She was one of the first to solely use a small format camera (Leica) in the 1930s and in 1948 she was one of the few using a Rollieflex 2 1/4-inch negative. She was among the first to use electronic flash, solarize her negatives, and to photograph extensively at night. In 1957 she stopped doing black and white photography and developed and printed her own color work. Then in 1959 she abandoned photography all together and concentrated on painting, poetry and collages. In 1976 she published Numbers in Images and is rediscovered as a photographer by the Museum of Modern Art of New York. In 1982 she published Women from Childhood to Old Age. Her work is in such collections as the San Francisco Museum of Fine Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Chicago Art Institute. – Lee Gallery

 

Pricing Comparables / Auction Results:

 

PRINTED LATER:

Sotheby’s, Photographs, 02 April, 2014, Lot 113

ILSE BING, 1899-1998, 'SELF IN MIRRORS' (SELF-PORTRAIT), signed and dated in white ink on the image, signed, titled, dated, and editioned '11/15' in pencil on the reverse, framed, 1931, printed later (Ilse Bing: Photography Through the Looking Glass, cover and p. 109, variant cropping), 7 1/2  by 8 5/8  in. (19.1 by 21.9 cm.)

$7500

 

Christie’s Sale 2495, Lot 254, Photographs, 19 December 2011,New York, Rockefeller Plaza

ILSE BING (1899-1998) 
It was so Windy on the Eiffel Tower, 1931 
gelatin silver print, printed later 
signed and dated in white ink (on the recto); signed, titled and dated in pencil (on the verso)
10 3/8 x 12¾in.

$5625

 

Christie’s, Sale 1951, Lot 74, Photographs from the Isadore and Kelly Friedman Collection, 7 September 2007, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

ILSE BING (1899-1998) 
Gold Lamé Shoes, 1935 
gelatin silver print, printed later 
signed and dated in white ink (on the recto); credit, titled and dated in pencil (on the verso)
10½ x 13¼in.

$5000

 

Christie’s, Sale 1825, Lot 475, Photographs, 23 - 24 April 2007, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

ILSE BING (1899-1998) 
Street Cleaner, 1947 
gelatin silver print, printed c. 1986 
signed and titled in ink (on the recto); signed and dated in pencil (on the verso)
13 x 10½in.

$3600

 

Sotheby’s, Photographies, Paris | 15 May 2012 | PF1220, Lot 35

ILSE BING (1899 - 1998) AUTOPORTRAIT AU LEICA, 1931 SILVER PRINT, PRINTED PROBABLY C. 1980. SIGNED AND DATED IN INK AT UPPER LEFT. ON THE REVERSE, SIGNED AND DATED IN PENCIL.

Tirage argentique postérieur, probablement vers 1980. Signé et daté à l'encre noire en haut à gauche. Au verso, signé et daté au crayon. Image 26,7 x 30,4 cm, feuille 28 x 35,5 cm (image 10 ½ x 12 in., sheet 11 x 14 in.)

LOT SOLD. 5,625 EUR (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)

$7215

 

Sotheby’s, Photographies, Paris | 15 May 2012 | PF1220, Lot 39

ILSE BING (1899 - 1998) LA TOUR EIFFEL (ÉTOILE), PARIS, 1931, SILVER PRINT, PRINTED PROBABLY C. 1980. SIGNED AND DATED IN BLACK IN AT LOWER RIGHT. ON THE REVERSE, SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED IN PENCIL. Tirage argentique postérieur, probablement vers 1980. Signé et daté à l'encre noire en bas a droite. Au verso, signé, daté et titré au crayon. Image 26,7 x 33 cm, feuille 28 x 35,5 cm (image 10 ½ x 13 in., sheet 11 x 14 in.)

LOT SOLD. 4,750 EUR (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)

$6092

 

Sotheby’s, Photographies, Paris | 15 May 2012 | PF1220, Lot 40

ILSE BING (1899 - 1998) "LE COUP DE VENT" TOUR EIFFEL, PARIS, 1931, SILVER PRINT, PRINTED PROBABLY C. 1980. SIGNED AND DATED IN WHITE INK AT LOWER LEFT. ON THE REVERSE, SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED IN PENCIL. Tirage argentique postérieur, probablement vers 1980. Signé à l'encre blanche en bas à gauche. Au verso, signé, titré et daté au crayon. Image 26,7 x 32,8 cm, feuille 28 x 35,5 cm (image 10 ½ x 12 7/8 in., sheet 11 x 14 in.)

LOT SOLD. 4,250 EUR (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)

$5451

 

Sotheby’s, Photographies, Paris | 15 May 2012 | PF1220, Lot 41

ILSE BING (1899 - 1998) LA TOUR EIFFEL, LA NUIT, PARIS 1934, SILVER PRINT, PRINTED PROBABLY C. 1980. SIGNED AND DATED IN BLACK INK AT LOWER RIGHT. ON THE REVERSE, SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED IN PENCIL. Tirage argentique postérieur, probablement vers 1980. Signé et daté à l'encre en bas à droite. Au verso, signé, daté et titré Tour Eiffel solar. au crayon.

LOT SOLD. 4,000 EUR (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)

$5130

VINTAGE PRINTS:

Sotheby’s, Photographs 02 OCTOBER 2013, Lot 136, ILSE BING, 1899-1998, ARBRE ET CHAISE AUX CHAMPS ELYSÉES, signed and dated in ink on the image, hinged to a mount with the photographer's 'Foto Ilse Bing 1931' stamp, 1931, 11 1/4  by 8 3/4  in. (28.6 by 22.2 cm.)

$6,875

Christie’s, Sale 1939, LOT 114, Modernist Photographs from a European Collection, 23 April 2007, New York, Rockefeller Plaza, ILSE BING (1899-1998) 
Bastille Day Lanterns at Night, Paris, 1933 
gelatin silver print 
signed, dated in ink (on the recto); signed, dated in pencil (on the verso); titled, dated in pencil, and copyright credit stamp (on the mount); titled, dated in pencil (on the reverse of the mount)
8¾ x 11¼in.

$21,600

 

Christie’s, Sale 7268, Lot 186, Photographs, 14 November 2006, London, King Street

ILSE BING (1899-1998) 
Fountain, Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées, Paris, 1934 
solarized gelatin silver print 
signed and dated in ink on recto 
11 1/8 x 8 3/8in.

$10,265