50 Extraordinary Photos, Including Rare Henri Cartier-Bresson Works, Go to Auction

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A young girl in a dress runs through a dirt yard beside a wooden house. A large tree stands nearby, and a person is visible in the background. The environment looks rustic and weathered, with scattered debris and greenery.

An extraordinary collection of 50 photographs, owned by Henri Cartier-Bresson’s brother-in-law, went to auction this week.

Eric Franck, a renowned figure and collector in fine art photography, dedicated decades to celebrating the work of some of the most iconic photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Through his personal connections, such as his sister Magnum photographer Martine Franck and her husband Henri Cartier-Bresson, Franck had unique access to some of the most significant photography.

A young man stands on a dirt road, looking pensive. In the background, a group of people gather near some wooden houses. The scene conveys a rural, historic atmosphere.

A person with tousled hair stands in front of a weathered wall decorated with faded murals depicting figures in hats. The person gazes upward, holding an object in one hand. The ground is textured, and the overall scene appears vintage.

On Monday, American auction house Heritage Auctions invited collectors to explore rare works from Franck’s unparalleled collection in the Photographs from the Collection of Eric Franck auction.

“For many decades, Eric Franck, brother of celebrated Magnum photographer Martine Franck, has been at the forefront of the fine art photographic community,” Laura Paterson, Heritage’s Consignment Director of Photographs, says in a press release.

“As a highly respected photography dealer, collector, and philanthropist, Franck’s connoisseurship and curatorial sensibility have helped shape our understanding of some of the most celebrated photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries.”

A person walks through a snowy, industrial area, bundled in heavy clothing against the wind. They carry a bag and shield themselves with an arm. Industrial buildings and trucks are partially obscured by snowdrift and fog in the background.

Three shirtless boys flex their muscles in a grassy field, with a small wooden shack in the background. A person stands near the shack. The scene is monochromatic.

Black and white image of an industrial landscape with railway tracks on the left, open grassy fields, and distant factories emitting smoke under a cloudy sky. The scene conveys a sense of desolation and industrial activity.

The collection of 50 images taken by acclaimed photographers Franck admires includes several works by his brother-in-law Cartier-Bresson, as well as Josef Koudelka, Chris Killip, and Graham Smith.

“The images share a common theme of ordinary people making the best of life in unfavorable circumstances, whether in the Soviet bloc, Margaret’s Thatcher’s Britain, or the segregated American South,” Paterson adds.

The sale includes Cartier-Bresson’s Barcelona (1933) and New Orleans, Louisiana (1947) which shows a young girl on a determined walk between houses in one of the city’s historic wards in the American South.

The auction also includes a series of images by street photographer Josef Koudelka. These include a playful portrait of three Roma boys clowning for the camera in the Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia), a picture of an old Roma couple in an interior, and the Koudelka’s arresting photo titled Jarabina, Czechoslovakia (1963).

“Here, an anxious young man, who is suspected of murder, is shown standing alone wearing handcuffs against a backdrop of police and bystanders,” Nigel Russell, Heritage’s Director of Photographs says of Jarabina, Czechoslovakia.

“These powerful studies not only document the transitory lifestyle and culture of the Roma but also show the persecution they experience at the hands of the authorities and the indigenous population.”

Image credits: All photos by Heritage Auctions, HA.com.

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