Ilse Bing (1899-1998)
Cancan Dancers at the Moulin
Rouge, Paris, 1931
Matte-surface gelatin silver
print, printed later
Signed in ink on verso
Print size: 11 x 14 inches
Provenance: The Estate of
Ilse Bing
Condition: Corners slightly
bumped; otherwise in excellent condition
IBMA 133.2
Retail: $5000
BIO:
Ilse Bing was born in 1899 in Frankfurt, Germany. She studied art
history and mathematics at the universities of Frankfurt and Vienna in the late
1920s. In order to finish her dissertation, she bought a Leica camera and
taught herself photography; she fell in love with the art form and by 1930 she
was living in Paris and working as a freelance photographer. Along with her
assignments, she was also exhibiting her work in important shows and galleries.
With the threat of fascism looming, Ilse Bing fled to America where she had to
start anew. She found work as a photographer doing portraits, fashion studies
and picture essays.
Ilse Bing was never afraid to experiment and try new techniques and she did
so throughout her career. She was one of the first to solely use a small format
camera (Leica) in the 1930s and in 1948 she was one of the few using a
Rollieflex 2 1/4-inch negative. She was among the first to use electronic
flash, solarize her negatives, and to photograph extensively at night. In 1957
she stopped doing black and white photography and developed and printed her own
color work. Then in 1959 she abandoned photography all together and
concentrated on painting, poetry and collages. In 1976 she published Numbers
in Images and is rediscovered as a photographer by the Museum of Modern Art
of New York. In 1982 she published Women from Childhood to Old Age. Her
work is in such collections as the San Francisco Museum of Fine Art, the Museum
of Modern Art, and the Chicago Art Institute. – Lee Gallery
Pricing Comparables
/ Auction Results:
PRINTED LATER:
Christie’s Sale 2495, Lot 254, Photographs, 19 December 2011,New York,
Rockefeller Plaza
ILSE BING (1899-1998)
It was so Windy on the Eiffel
Tower, 1931
gelatin silver print, printed later
signed and dated in white ink
(on the recto); signed, titled and dated in pencil (on the verso)
10 3/8 x
12¾in.
$5625
Christie’s, Sale 1951, Lot 74, Photographs from the Isadore and Kelly
Friedman Collection, 7 September 2007, New York, Rockefeller Plaza
ILSE BING (1899-1998)
Gold Lamé Shoes, 1935
gelatin
silver print, printed later
signed and dated in white ink (on the recto);
credit, titled and dated in pencil (on the verso)
10½ x 13¼in.
$5000
Christie’s, Sale 1825, Lot 475, Photographs, 23 - 24 April 2007, New York,
Rockefeller Plaza
ILSE BING (1899-1998)
Street Cleaner, 1947
gelatin
silver print, printed c. 1986
signed and titled in ink (on the recto); signed
and dated in pencil (on the verso)
13 x 10½in.
$3600
Sotheby’s, Photographies, Paris | 15 May 2012 | PF1220, Lot 35
ILSE BING (1899 - 1998)
AUTOPORTRAIT AU LEICA, 1931
SILVER PRINT, PRINTED PROBABLY C. 1980. SIGNED AND DATED IN INK
AT UPPER LEFT. ON THE REVERSE, SIGNED AND DATED IN PENCIL.
Tirage argentique postérieur, probablement vers 1980. Signé et
daté à l'encre noire en haut à gauche. Au verso, signé et daté au crayon. Image
26,7 x 30,4 cm, feuille 28 x 35,5 cm (image 10 ½ x 12 in., sheet 11 x 14 in.)
LOT SOLD. 5,625 EUR (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)
$7215
Sotheby’s, Photographies, Paris | 15 May 2012 | PF1220, Lot 39
ILSE BING (1899 - 1998)
LA TOUR EIFFEL (ÉTOILE), PARIS, 1931
SILVER PRINT, PRINTED PROBABLY C. 1980. SIGNED AND DATED IN
BLACK IN AT LOWER RIGHT. ON THE REVERSE, SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED IN PENCIL. Tirage
argentique postérieur, probablement vers 1980. Signé et daté à l'encre noire en
bas a droite. Au verso, signé, daté et titré au crayon. Image 26,7 x 33 cm,
feuille 28 x 35,5 cm (image 10 ½ x 13 in., sheet 11 x 14 in.)
LOT SOLD. 4,750 EUR (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)
$6092
Sotheby’s, Photographies, Paris | 15 May 2012 | PF1220, Lot 40
ILSE BING (1899 - 1998)
"LE COUP DE VENT" TOUR EIFFEL, PARIS, 1931
SILVER PRINT, PRINTED PROBABLY C. 1980. SIGNED AND DATED IN
WHITE INK AT LOWER LEFT. ON THE REVERSE, SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED IN PENCIL. Tirage
argentique postérieur, probablement vers 1980. Signé à l'encre blanche en bas à
gauche. Au verso, signé, titré et daté au crayon. Image 26,7 x 32,8 cm, feuille
28 x 35,5 cm (image 10 ½ x 12 7/8 in., sheet 11 x 14 in.)
LOT SOLD. 4,250 EUR (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)
$5451
Sotheby’s, Photographies, Paris | 15 May 2012 | PF1220, Lot 41
ILSE BING (1899 - 1998) LA TOUR EIFFEL, LA NUIT, PARIS 1934
SILVER PRINT, PRINTED PROBABLY C. 1980. SIGNED AND DATED IN
BLACK INK AT LOWER RIGHT. ON THE REVERSE, SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED IN
PENCIL. Tirage argentique postérieur, probablement vers 1980. Signé et daté à
l'encre en bas à droite. Au verso, signé, daté et titré Tour Eiffel solar. au
crayon.
LOT SOLD. 4,000 EUR (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)
$5130
VINTAGE PRINTS:
Christie’s, Sale 1939, LOT 114, Modernist Photographs from a European
Collection, 23 April 2007, New York, Rockefeller Plaza, ILSE BING (1899-1998)
Bastille Day Lanterns at Night, Paris, 1933
gelatin silver print
signed,
dated in ink (on the recto); signed, dated in pencil (on the verso); titled,
dated in pencil, and copyright credit stamp (on the mount); titled, dated in
pencil (on the reverse of the mount)
8¾ x 11¼in.
$21,600
Christie’s,
Sale 7268, Lot 186, Photographs, 14 November 2006, London, King
Street
ILSE BING (1899-1998)
Fountain, Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées,
Paris, 1934
solarized gelatin silver print
signed and dated in ink on recto
11 1/8 x 8 3/8in.
$10,265