A picture is worth a thousand words, but pictures taken by Arnold Newman are worth at least a thousand dollars.

Newman once said, “We do not take pictures with our cameras, but our hearts and minds.” The statement itself shows Arnold’s perspective of his calling, not only as a photographer, but as an artist. Clarke Auction will feature 13  individual photographs by Newman on February 23rd, appropriately offered in the fine art selection.

Newman, an American photographer, pioneered the genre of “environmental portraiture” which depicts famous figures in their professional habitats.   In essence, his work was other people’s work, yet his lens often broke the plane of professional title, revealing the human beneath.

Newman initially began photographing well-known artists with their work, as exemplified by the offered “Georgia O’Keefe, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico” (est. $2,000/$3,000). The gelatin silver print photograph is a perfect example of how a photograph of an artist becomes art in and of itself. The image depicts O’Keefe in profile against a blank canvas, with a bleached animal skull above and glimpses of the sprawling New Mexico desert in the background.

In staying with an ironic sense of “environmental portraiture”, the offered self portrait with camera (est. $2000/$3,000). He did not stray from his created genre, even when his subject was himself. In his self-portrait, he is reflected in a mirror that also shows portraits he has taken of others on a back wall. As in all of his portraits, the background makes the essential context for the  portrayal of the figure. A dedication on the photograph that reads “Taken when I was 61, now at 85 I can say you keep me alive despite myself, all these years in friendship, Arnold (Newman) 5/15/03” lends a personal and meaningful touch.

Also offered by Clarke on February 23rd are examples of the stunning political portraits by Newman.  An iconic image of John F. Kennedy before his presidency entitled "Senator John F. Kennedy, at The Capital, Wash DC 1953” (est. $2,000/$3,000) is the featured lot.  Kennedy leans on a column in the lower right hand corner of the foreground as Washington D.C. and the world lay behind him. The haunting and patriotic photograph is as personal as it is professional.

Another example of Newman’s ability to capture the human within the work is the portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt in her later years. The gelatin silver print entitled “Eleanor Roosevelt NYC 1992” (est.$2,000/$3,000) is a highly personal view of Mrs. Roosevelt with  a determined expression among a large stack of papers.

Other important works by Newman on February 23 at Clarke include “President Harry Truman NYC 1960,”  the rare “Mutara III Rudahigwa, King of the Watusi, Rwanda, Africa 1958,” another rare image of the "King of the Bakubas, Congo, 1958,” "Leonard Bernstein, 1968," "President Bill Clinton, The White House 1999," "Violins,1941," and "Barn, Mass,1983." 

While Newman is the featured photographer/artist in the upcoming sale, Clarke will also offer some additional exceptional photography lots including two lots of Black Americana photography, 20 photographs by John Sann, and 12 photographs of cats by Margaret Bourke-White.

In-house previews for the sale will be held on Friday and Saturday, February 21st and 22nd from 12pm – 6pm and Sunday February 23rd (day of sale) from 10am to 12pm (start of sale).

Online catalog is available 24/7 and updated daily at www.ClarkeNY.com.

Please call the gallery directly at (914) 833-8336 or email info@clarkeny.com for general questions, questions regarding bidding, sales, consignments, and all other information.