Auction: August 13

Our curators picked their favorite items from our upcoming August 13 The Art of Exposure: Pin-up and Nude Photography Showcase Auction.
| Nigel's Picks Nigel Russell | Director, Photographs, New York
Ruth Bernhard At the Mirror, San Francisco, 1959
Ruth Bernhard's At the Mirror, San Francisco, 1959 is a masterful exploration of the female form and the quiet intimacy of self-reflection. Known for her precise use of light and shadow, Bernhard captures a moment of contemplative grace, where the subject-posed before a mirror-seems both physically present and introspectively distant. The photograph exemplifies Bernhard's deep appreciation for the sculptural qualities of the human body, particularly through her use of soft, diffused light to emphasize curves and contours. Bernhard's reverence for form, beauty, and inner stillness is fully realized, contributing to her legacy as one of the leading figures in 20th-century American photography. Mounted on the back of this photograph is a photograph of Bernhard with pencil annotations.
Bert Stern Marilyn Monroe, "Baby" (from the Last Sitting), 1962
This auction features several Bert Stern photographs of Marilyn Monroe. One of my favorites is "Baby" from The Last Sitting (1962), a poignant and iconic image that captures both the glamour and vulnerability of one of Hollywood's most enduring legends. Taken during Monroe's final photo session just weeks before her death, the photograph is part of a larger series that blends sensuality with a haunting sense of introspection. In "Baby," Monroe gazes into the camera with a mix of playfulness and fragility, her tousled hair and expressive eyes revealing a woman who is both in command of her image and quietly unraveling. This image, like the series as a whole, transcends celebrity portraiture to become a deeply human document-celebrating Monroe's magnetic charm while hinting at the loneliness beneath her luminous surface.
Emery P. Reves-Biro Optigram, circa 1935
Emery P. Reves-Biro's Optigram, circa 1935, is a striking example of avant-garde photography that reflects the experimental spirit of interwar modernism. Influenced by Constructivism and the Bauhaus movement, the image plays with geometric abstraction, light, and form to create a visual experience that is both dynamic and disorienting. Reves-Biro's double exposure of a nude creates an optical effect that questions traditional representation. Created during a period of intense innovation in visual culture, the work aligns with the broader European interest in exploring how the camera could capture and even invent new ways of seeing.
| Sarahjane's Picks Sarahjane Blum | Director of Illustration Art, New York
Bunny Yeager Linda Vargas, Playmate
Though the centerfold she shot of Bettie Page for the 1955 Christmas issue of Playboy is Bunny Yeager's most famous contribution to the magazine, Yeager's influence was much deeper than that. Throughout its early years, Yeager discovered multiple Playmates including Linda Vargas. In this set of images, comprised of a full vintage contact sheet and six original camera negatives, Yeager captures all of Vargas's mysterious beauty, and showcases her own ability to draw it out for the camera. As this is one of over 20 lots direct from the archive of Bunny Yeager in this auction, it was hard to pick a favorite, but for now this is it.
Edwin F. Townsend Marguerite Agniel, from "Body Sculpture" (12 works), circa 1930
Much like today, the 1920s were a moment where wonder and anxiety about technology was leading to deep philosophical questions about the nature of humanity. Marguerite Agniel, one of the early pioneers of yoga in America and an influential figure in the physical culture movement in America, often embodied these questions in the photographs taken of her for books and magazines which idealized the disciplined human form. In this series of images that were used in the creation of the book Body Sculpture, we see Edwin Townsend playing with the tension between the human and the man made, turning Agniel into an art deco chrome and gold beauty. It's a spectacular one-of-a-kind grouping.
| Holly's Pick Holly Sherratt | West Coast Director, Photographs
Bob Mizer Group of 6 photographs of Sailors, circa 1950
Bob Mizer (1922-1992) was a visionary photographer and publisher who celebrated male beauty and helped transform cultural views of masculinity and queer identity. As founder of the Athletic Model Guild and Physique Pictorial, the first U.S. magazine to present male imagery through a proudly gay lens, he expanded the possibilities of erotic art and personal expression. Mizer also preserved vintage pin-ups and mass-market ephemera. Today, the Bob Mizer Foundation continues to honor his lasting influence on photography and LGBTQ+ history.
| Mya's Picks Mya Adams | Cataloguer, Fine Arts, Dallas
Gil Elvgren Group of 2 photographs used for Napa Auto Parts calendar, 1960s
Gil Elvgren Myrna Hansen Modeling for A Cute Injury, 1953
The use of a model as reference is a long-standing tradition in art history, particularly in sculpture and painting. Photography introduced a tangible way to capture and preserve a model's pose. Gil Elvgren was one such artist who embraced this method. This auction is pleased to offer two lots of reference photographs used by Elvgren for paintings he created in the 1960s. Works for the 1967 Napa Auto Parts Calendar, and A Cute Injury. Lot 39089 includes paint splatters and visible fingerprints-likely Elvgren's-offering compelling evidence of the photographs' direct role in his studio practice. In this context, photography becomes more than just a medium; it bridges the gap between artistic preparation and the final work. Whether used as a reference tool, collected as ephemera, or appreciated in its own right, photography occupies a unique place in the history of art-remarkably so, given that it has existed for less than 200 years.
Find your next iconic 20th century photographic treasure in our August 13 The Art of Exposure: Pin-up and Nude Photography Showcase Auction. Sincerely,
|  | Nigel Russell Director, Photographs, New York NigelR@HA.com (212) 486-3659
|  | Sarahjane Blum Director of Illustration Art, New York SarahjaneB@HA.com (214) 409-1549
|  | Holly Sherratt West Coast Director, Photographs HollyS@HA.com (415) 548-5921
|  | Mya Adams Cataloguer, Fine Arts, Dallas MyaA@HA.com (214) 409-1139