Ways of Seeing: South African and International Photography

Live Virtual Auction, 18 September 2024

Ways of Seeing: South African and International Photography
About the Session

Ways of Seeing: South African and International Photography showcases a collection of works that take a critical approach to photography, layered with themes of personhood, subjectivity and community.

The sale features works from distinct collections by passionate collectors with a discerning eye and deep engagement with art – featuring The Gary Eisenberg Collection, part of the Linda Givon Collection, works from The Photographic Archival and Preservation Association as well as a group of contemporary African artists who have made a significant mark within the medium of photography including, Zanele Muholi, Mary Sibande, Kudzanai Chiurai, Pieter Hugo and Nandipha Mntambo, among others.

With a title that pays homage to a great thinker, John Berger, Ways of Seeing: South African and International Photography challenges traditional notions of the gaze, inviting us to engage the human experience through images of nude physical forms, intimate portraits, landscapes and depictions of the environment. The sale is a meditation on the ethics of seeing, often fraught with complexity and contestation.

It highlights the diversity within both local and global photographic traditions through an array of works, with significant contributions from African photographers alongside globally renowned artists such as Bill Brandt (British), Nan Goldin (American), Bettina Rheims (French), Sebastião Salgado (Brazilian), Viviane Sassen (Dutch), Wolfgang Tillmans (German), Joel-Peter Witkin (American), André Kertész (Hungarian), Roman Vishniac (Russian-American), and Youssef Nabil (Egyptian).

A significant portion of Ways of Seeing: South African and International Photography is drawn from The Gary Eisenberg Collection following the tragic and untimely passing of Gary earlier this year. This inclusion comes with immense gratitude from Gary’s wife, Dominique Eisenberg. 


  • Mikhael Subotzky; Wye Film Still 3
  • Mikhael Subotzky; Wye Film Still 3
  • Mikhael Subotzky; Wye Film Still 3
  • Mikhael Subotzky; Wye Film Still 3
  • Mikhael Subotzky; Wye Film Still 3
  • Mikhael Subotzky; Wye Film Still 3
  • Mikhael Subotzky; Wye Film Still 3


Lot Estimate
ZAR 30 000 - 50 000
Location
Johannesburg
Make an Offer
The item was unsold and may still be available

About this Item

South African 1981-
Wye Film Still 3

signed, dated 2016, numbered 1/5 and inscribed with the title in pencil in the margin

inkjet print on cotton rag paper
image size: 22,5 by 30cm; 36,5 by 42 by 3cm including frame

Exhibited

Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, WYE, 2 March to 1 April 2017, another example from the edition exhibited.

Provenance

The Linda Givon Collection.

View all Mikhael Subotzky lots for sale in this auction