William Eggleston was a color pioneer who found beauty in the everyday. However, despite beginning his journey in the 1950s, the world did not see his work until the 1970s, when John Szarkowski, a curator, decided to showcase it at the Museum of Modern Art. The exhibit was the start of a new way of looking at the world, inspiring millions. And now, Eggleston’s work is getting more appreciation from people because one of his prints set a new record.
The lead image is a screenshot from Christie’s website.
The photograph, Untitled, 1971-1974, fetched $1,441,500, or about $1.44 million, at Christie’s, an auction house in the United States. The estimated price, however, was between $700,000 to $900,000. What makes the image so unique is that it was created for his series Los Alamos , in which Eggleston, along with writer and curator Walter Hopps, traveled to the south belt of America, which is also his hometown. The duo took road trips between 1965 and 1974. However, Christie states that the image was kept aside and only rediscovered in 2003, 40 years since its creation.
According to Hani, the artist’s most expensive sale occurred in 2008 at Christie’s, where the same series fetched about $1.02 million. And now, we see a $419,000 difference or more than a 35% increase in sales. In addition, Hani also tracked the sales of Eggleston’s work since 2002, and one can see an upward trend in the auction. His Cadillac portfolio was sold for $40,000, and from there on, the numbers saw anywhere between a 4% to about 254% increase.
If Eggleston’s perspective is essentially romantic, however, the romanticism is different in spirit and aspect from that with which we are familiar in the photography of the past generation. In that more familiar mode, photographic romanticism has tended to mean the adoption and adaptation of large public issues, social or philosophical, for private artistic ends … In Eggleston’s work these characteristics are reversed, and we see uncompromisingly private experience described in a manner that is restrained, austere, and public…’
John Szarkowski
Christie’s further adds that the same image was first sold at Christie’s in 2012, along with 36 other images from his archives by William Eggleston himself. In fact, upon the photographer’s request, the images were created in two sets, which were large pigment prints. However, back then, only one set was available for auction. Clearly, it doesn’t surprise many that this image sold for such an amount, especially when Eggleston himself oversaw the process.
However, it must be noted that Eggleston’s images were best seen in dye-transfer prints, which is how he intended them to be seen. Dye transfer was an excitingly laborious process used only by commercial photographers. However, by printing his work using this method, William Eggleston broke the norm of what serious photography should be, and it certainly was not black and white.
Looking at Untitled, 1971-1974, there is a sense of calmness, just as there is excitement for the adventure ahead. The image doesn’t reveal much besides a drink and the clouds outside the window. However, this information is enough for viewers to be hooked on to. The color of the cocktail, the glitter of the glass and the ice cubes, and the coolness of the sky against the harsh sun add a layer of magic to the scene. The delicate tilt of the lady’s hand is also graceful, as it is welcoming. The image not only evokes a sense of romanticism but also makes us nostalgic for the era. The colors draw you in, while the scene appears like a poem in daily life.
This auction comes at a time when Eggleston’s work will be showcased in its original format, using the last set of dye-transfer prints, in December. If you are a fan of the master of color, then you must check it out.