Nudity Sells At Sotheby’s

Many successful entrepreneurs will tell you, sex sells.  Andre Balazs, uses taboo advertising for the Standard in NY, Britney Spears just released a new hit that tiptoes, or marches, around the topic of threesomes, and Jenna Jameson, well, that’s obvious.  So, if sex sells, can nudity auction? Sotheby’s will find out next month.

On October 9, Sotheby’s in New York will auction off nude portraits of supermodels—the work of Chuck Close, Peter Beard, Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton and others.  One of the main attractions is a set of six full frontal shots of Kate Moss.  Taken by Chuck Close in 2003, the lot is estimated at $100,000-$150,000.

Another top lot is a portfolio of 12 semi-nude images of Marilyn Monroe.  Taken in 1962 by Lawrence Schiller, the shots are estimated at $50,000-$70,000.  Included in the nudity is Rolling Stone front man, Mick Jagger.  Shot in 1995, the two Peter Lindbergh portraits are estimated at $30,000-$50,000.  Priced a bit under Mick Jagger, Stephanie Seymour’s nude photo taken by Richard Avedon in 1992, is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.  A relatively tame photo of barely clad Nadja Auermann grasping her breast was taken in 1994 by Irving Penn and is estimated at a mere $6,000-$9,000.

Via: Luxist