László Moholy-Nagy Print & Cover Picture of Robert Frank’s The Americans Offered in Christie’s Photographs Auction

“The enemy of photography is the convention, the fixed rules of ‘how to do.’ The salvation of photography comes from the experiment,” László Moholy-Nagy once said. A unique, untitled gelatin silver print, signed by Moholy-Nagy, is on offer in the upcoming Photographs Auction, offered by Christie’s. László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian-born artist shaped by Dadaism, Suprematism, Constructivism, and debates about photography. A Modernist and a restless experimentalist from the outset, he influenced post-war art education in the United States. One of his greatest legacies was the version of Bauhaus teaching he brought to the United States, where he established the highly influential Institute of Design in Chicago. The available photograph was made between 1928 and 1929, several years after Moholy-Nagy began experimenting with photograms in the early 1920s. It involves images created without a camera, where objects are placed on photographic paper and then exposed to light. The mystery of the image exemplifies Moholy’s talent of blending art forms and pushing boundaries of the media he employed. 

Several images from Robert Frank’s celebrated book titled The Americans will also be available in the sale. An early gelatin silver print of Trolley – New Orleans, 1955, one of his most famous works and the one chosen to appear on the cover, is a leading lot. The picture captures trolley bus windows with a group of people ranging in race, gender, and age, each looking directly at the photographer, displaying an array of expressions. Frank was fascinated by the energy of a parade and suddenly acted on impulse to turn around and snap this picture of a trolley passing through the French Quarter. Additionally, the sale will offer classic, post-war, and contemporary photographs and prints. View the complete catalog of the Photographs Auction by visiting Christie’s.