Christie’s Auction: Post-War Photography Through Ambassador Traina’s Eye
Photography underwent a profound transformation in the decades following the Second World War. From the rise of street photography and the emergence of leading female voices to the changing portrayal of the American landscape, the medium has developed alongside technological innovations and cultural change.
Across eras and styles, former US Ambassador to Austria, Trevor Traina, has built a collection that captures the major threads of photography’s post-war evolution. ‘The collection tells quite a few different stories,’ Ambassador Traina tells Christie’s. ‘I’ve always been attracted to photography because it feels like the medium of our time. It feels fresh.’
Alex Prager (B. 1979),Simi Valley, 2014. Archival pigment print. 47 ¾ x 96 ¼ in (121.2 x 244.4 cm). Estimate: $30,000-50,000. Offered in:An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Trainaon 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
On October 3, over 130 objects will be offered at Christie’s in New York as part of An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina. Comprehensive in scope and style, the collection, which is anchored by household names like Diane Arbus and William Eggleston, demonstrates photography’s ability to shape our understanding of the world and ourselves.
The new documentarians
One of the greatest shifts in early twentieth century photography came from advancements in camera technology. The advent of 35mm film in the 1930s along with smaller, more portable cameras allowed for greater mobility and paved the way for on-the-scene photojournalism and the candid street photography that would characterize much of the post-war era.
A new group of photographers employed the language of documentary photography to reframe our way of seeing. The exhibition that most directly highlighted this shift was New Documents, held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1967. Curated by John Szarkowski, the groundbreaking show challenged the conventional idea of photographic storytelling and featured the work of the photographers Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander and Garry Winogrand.
‘When Szarkowski organized New Documents, it signalled a new kind of vision within photography,’ says Darius Himes, Christie’s International Head of Photographs. ‘These photographers were looking at America through a lens that was both serious and playful, but ultimately void of any documentary or political stance. They held a mirror back to society without agenda.’
Open image in gallery
Diane Arbus (1923-1971), Boy with a straw hat waiting to march in a pro-war parade, NYC, 1967. Gelatin silver print, printed between 1967-1969. Image: 10 ¼ x 9 ⅞ in (26 x 25 cm). Sheet: 13 ⅞ x 10 ⅞ in (35.2 x 27.6 cm). Overall framed: 18 x 17⅛ in (45.7 x 17.1 cm). Estimate: $150,000–250,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
Lee Friedlander (b. 1934), New York City, 1966. Gelatin silver print, printed 1970s. Estimate: $6,000–8,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
Many photographs throughout Ambassador Traina’s collection illustrate the direct and objective approach of these artists. One distinguished example is Diane Arbus’ Boy With Straw Hat (1967). Taken at a pro-war parade in New York the same year as the MoMA exhibition, the photograph showcases her frank style of portraiture and knack for highlighting the singularity of her subjects. Another Arbus masterpiece from the collection — Identical twins, (Cathleen and Colleen), Roselle, New Jersey, 1966 — set a record for the artist in May 2024 when it sold at Christie’s for $1,197,000.
In their black-and-white streetscapes, both Friedlander and Winogrand isolated scenes from daily life in a manner that was intriguing and initially difficult to read. Images like Friedlander’s New York City (1966) capture the fleeting and incongruous moments on city streets, offering a new way of seeing the quotidian. Numerous images in the collection by Winogrand, Friedlander and others, including New York City, grace the covers of important monographs, underscoring Ambassador Traina's prescient eye for the most iconic and critically acclaimed works.
Robert Frank (1924-2019), US 285 New Mexico, 1956. Gelatin silver print, printed 1960s. 16 x 1.5 x 20 in (40.6 x 3.8 x 50.8 cm). Estimate: $60,000–80,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
Robert Frank methodically challenged contemporary cultural narratives through photography, employing the book form to stunning success. His pioneering series The Americans, funded by a Guggenheim Fellowship, offered a dark, cross-cultural view of America. As a foreigner, the Swiss-born Frank presented an outsider’s view of the country in sombre, poetic terms. In images like US 285 New Mexico from the 1960s, he epitomised the popular American trope of the open road — both mirroring the way we see ourselves and challenging our prevailing notions.
Together, these artists redefined the documentary style in photography, moving beyond traditional expressions and opening the art form to new methods of visual storytelling.
Life in colour
While New Documents was comprised exclusively of black-and-white imagery, the 1960s and 1970s also saw the rise of colour photography. One of the foremost visionaries in this regard was William Eggleston, whose solo exhibition at MoMA in 1976 announced the arrival of colour photography as a serious artistic choice.
William Eggleston (b. 1939), Greenwood, Mississippi (Red Ceiling), 1973. Dye transfer print. 12 ¼ x 18 ½ in (31.1 x 47 cm). Estimate: $200,000–300,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
Eggleston’s photographs of everyday life in the American South, presented in a snapshot style, revolutionised the way colour informed composition. In his vibrant images, the banal becomes beautiful, as seen in Greenwood Mississippi (Red Ceiling) from 1973. ‘In Red Ceiling, the power of the photograph comes from the colour,’ says Ambassador Traina. ‘I would posit that this is the single most important colour photograph of the 20th century. Not just because of its visual power, but because of its central role in the MoMA exhibition, which shocked and educated people about the advent of colour photography.’
It is also an image that showcases the craft of one of the most exquisite colour photograph processes. Ambassador Traina's collection includes eight exquisite Eggleston photographs, many of which were printed using the dye transfer process, a complex and extremely stable technique where layers of CMYK dyes are transferred onto paper. The meticulous method allows for precise control of the colour and more vibrancy, making an image like this nearly impossible to reproduce with absolute accuracy.
Tina Barney (b. 1945), The Landscape, 1988. Chromogenic print. Image/sheet: 44 ⅜ x 58 ¼ in. Overall framed: 46 x 59 ¾ in. Estimate: $7,000–10,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
Philip-Lorca diCorcia (b. 1951), Marilyn; 28 years old; Las Vegas, Nevada; $30, 1990-1992. Chromogenic print. Image: 15 ½ x 23 in (39.4 x 58.5 cm). Estimate: $25,000-35,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
Eggleston’s work announced the expressive power of colour, and artists such as Joel Sternfeld, Tina Barney, Philip-Lorca diCorcia and Nan Goldin began to experiment with its possibilities. Barney shot her first colour photograph in 1979, and is known today for her large-scale, vibrant works like The Landscape (1988). Drawing the viewer into a layered domestic setting, Barney captures an intimate, cross-generational family portrait.
Meanwhile, diCorcia chose to work in colour because he saw it as a format not utilised or appreciated to its full capacity. His stunning image Marilyn; 28 Years Old; Las Vegas, Nevada; $30 (1990-1992) is part of the artist's Hustler series from the early 1990s. For this series, diCorcia met men who had moved to Hollywood to pursue careers in entertainment, but found themselves working as prostitutes, and had them pose in locations throughout the Sunset Strip. The titles comprise of the model’s name, age, city of birth and the amount they were paid for the portrait, which is the same as their fees for their most typical sexual services.
The changing American landscape
These new explorations within the medium also extended into landscape photography. This shift was surveyed in the 1975 New Topographics exhibition at the George Eastman House Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York. Curated by William Jenkins, the exhibition featured artists, like Robert Adams and Stephen Shore, who eschewed the romanticised beauty of traditional landscape photography. Rather, they favoured the changing American topography in the wake of suburban sprawl and industrial development. ‘I've always just bought things that I love,’ says Ambassador Traina. ‘I like photos that really show us the world around us, that train our eyes and that tell stories.’
Adams’ photographs of the Colorado suburbs, for example, capture the tension between nature and industrialization. In Longmont Colorado (1979), fair rides blanket an open field, the tops of trees blurred in the background. Nature remains, the image tells us, but civilization is encroaching.
Robert Adams (b. 1937), Longmont, Colorado, 1979. Gelatin silver print, printed 1990. Image: 10 ⅞ x 11 in (27.6 x 27.9 cm). Sheet: 19 ⅞ x 15 ⅞ in (50.4 x 70.8 cm). Overall framed: 22 ¾ x 18 ⅝ in (57.7 x 47.3 cm). Estimate: $50,000–70,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
Stephen Shore (b. 1947), Beverly Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, California, 1975. Chromogenic print. Image: 7 ⅞ x 10 in (20 x 25.4 cm). Overall framed: 15 ½ x 17 ½ in (39.3 x 44.4 cm). Estimate: $20,000-30,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
Shore’s photographs also consider the impact of human activity on the environment. In Beverly Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, California, June 21 1975 (1975), the untouched landscape is reduced even further, with the barely visible hills of Hollywood edged out by concrete and commerce.
Through challenging prevailing notions of beauty, artists of the New Topographics paved the way for future photographic developments. Their re-examination of a traditional medium and their minimalist, objective style continues to resonate and influence creatives working today.
Photography as cultural commentary
By the 1980s, photography began to intersect more deeply with contemporary art movements, and artists employed the medium to critique and respond to cultural norms. ‘There’s a shift in the 1980s and 1990s where artists were using the language of photography to talk about self-identity issues, how we perceive ourselves and how the media influences that perception,’ says Himes. ‘It was a post-modern critique of society and the art world, and women were leading the conversation.’
Cindy Sherman (b. 1954), Untitled Film Still #81, 1980. Gelatin silver print flush-mounted to foam core. Image: 35 ½ x 25 in (90.1 x 63.5 cm). Overall framed: 47 ¼ x 36.¼ in (120 x 92 cm). Estimate: $180,000–250,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
Laurie Simmons (b. 1949), Walking Cake II (Color), 1989. Cibachrome print. Image: 63 ⅛ x 45 ⅜ in (160.3 x 115.2 cm). Overall framed: 69 ½ x 51 ⅜ (176.5 x 130.4 cm). Estimate: $20,000–30,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
At the forefront of this movement was Cindy Sherman, a member of the Pictures Generation. This group of artists emerged in New York in the 1970s and 1980s and raised questions around identity and authorship. Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills series questioned the construction of female identity in popular culture. In the series of 69 black-and-white portraits made between 1977–1980, Sherman assumes stereotypes of women portrayed in the media — the ingenue, the femme fatale, the working girl and more.
‘The Sherman in my collection is really a masterpiece,’ says Traina. ‘There’s an incredible amount of intimacy; it’s sort of like we’ve come across a private moment and it’s quite voyeuristic. There are a lot of layers in the piece, and I love that.’
Other artists from the Pictures Generation, like Laurie Simmons, moved away from a pseudo-documentary style and instead adopted a surrealistic approach. In Walking Cake II (Color) (1989), an anthropomorphized birthday cake is mid-step. Part of her Food, Shelter, Clothing series, Simmons uses staged imagery like this to look at the outsized role of objects in our lives, particularly those associated with domesticity and femininity.
Andreas Gursky (b. 1955), Dortmund, 2009. Chromogenic print mounted on Plexiglas in artist's frame. Image: 80 x 113 ½ in (203.2 x 288.2 cm). Frame: 88 x 121 in (223.5 x 307.3 cm). Estimate: $300,000–500,000. Offered in: An Eye Towards the Real: Photographs from the Collection of Ambassador Trevor Traina on 3 October 2024 at Christie's in New York
Photography also became a detached tool to record contemporary life. The Düsseldorf School, for example, was a movement that emphasized detail and scale. This concept is embodied in Andreas Gursky’s photograph Dortmund (2008-2009). ‘The Düsseldorf School was inspired by the idea of reflecting society through scenes that were emotionally removed, yet presented an infinitude of details,’ says Himes. ‘In Dortmund, Gursky captures a stadium during a soccer match. There are a million people in the photograph, and it shows the infinite detail that photography can record.’
From the documentarians of post-war life to those embracing the technologies of today, the evolution of photography is a testament to its enduring relevance. ‘The artists in my collection have, in one way or another, advanced our understanding of what is possible,’ says Ambassador Traina. In using their cameras as both a means of expression and cultural documentation, the artists represented in this collection have engaged the universal language of photography to chronicle and question the complexities of our ever-changing world.