Nobuyoshi Araki's Untitled (Watermelon) has seen the highest bids in Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions' Photographs and Photobooks sale, held on November 22 in London.
 Araki is one of the most prolific artists alive, having produced more than 350 books up to 2005 |
The piece is a 1991 work from Araki's Colourscapes series, with this print made circa 2007. It sold for £14,880 ($24,138).
Nobuyoshi Araki (b.1940) is a Japanese photographer, considered one of the most prolific artists around the world, having published over 350 books by 2005.
 Keeler was involved in the Profumo affair at the time the photograph wa published |
Lewis Morley's nude of model Christine Keeler, which sold for £14,260 ($23,132), saw the second highest bids of the sale.
The shot remains controversial due to being published at the height of the Profumo affair in 1963, in which the secretary of state for war had an affair with Keeler, damaging the reputation of the government.
There remains debate as to whether Keeler was fully nude for the pose, to which she replied:
"I am always asked if I wore knickers for the shot astride the chair. I certainly did. But it had been a battle to keep them on. Morley had wanted to photograph me without any clothes on but I used the chair to cover my bust and pulled up my white knickers around my waist."
 Brassai, one of many Hungarian artists who found fame in Paris, was also a filmmaker, sculptor and painter |
Also selling well was Un Couple d'Amoureux dans un Cafe, a superb example of Hungarian-born photographer Brassai's work from the 1930s. A gelatine silver print from the 1970s, it has been signed and titled by the artist, and features his 81 Faubourg Saint-Jacques stamp.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a rare signed copy of Yousuf Karsh's retrospective book for sale.
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Images: Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions
