Lee Friedlander’s The Little Screens Suite and Hiroshi Sugimoto’s The Music Lesson Highlight Sotheby’s Upcoming Sale

Lee Friedlander is an influential American photographer, renowned for his “social landscape” style. His images include compositions portraying the modern urban life of post-war America. Friedlander’s The Little Screens, a set of 52 gelatin silver prints of photos captured during this period, is a key highlight of the upcoming sale at Sotheby’s. Reflecting the growing popularity of television in the 1960s and ‘70s, the images have been clicked in various locales across the country. Each black and white frame comprises a television set with fleeting moments in advertising, politics, or entertainment. The interiors are particularly uninhabited and drab. 

Another notable lot is Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto’s The Music Lesson. It is part of his Portraits series, commissioned by the Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin. Sugimoto photographed a wax tableau created by Madame Tussauds Amsterdam, which was inspired by Johannes Vermeer’s masterpiece. He placed his tripod where Vermeer mostly likely would have positioned his easel. The hint of the tripod is seen in a mirror reflection above the harpsichord. Sugimoto is noted for such optical illusions, challenging the notion that photography portrays only truth. Visit Sotheby’s auction to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Pier 24 Photography from the Pilara Family Foundation Sold to Benefit Charitable Organizations Evening Sale.