The Pergamon Altar in Berlin. 1901-02. 6 collodion paper prints, mounted to board. Each between 18,7 x 27,8 cm and 22,8 x 27,8 cm or reverse (mounts between 21,3 x 30,3 cm and 25,6 x 31,4 cm or reverse). With the photographer's logo, name and negative number in the negative in lower right or left corner.
This lot includes some unusual views of the Pergamon Altar in Berlin before its final placement in the Pergamon Museum.
Photographer: Coxeter. X-ray of a forearm and hand. 1897. Vintage collodion print, mounted to original board. 15 x 24 cm. Signed and dated in ink in lower right within the image.
This early radiographic image captures the skeletal structure of a forearm and hand with inserted screws, exemplifying the fascination with X-ray technology following its discovery by Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895. Likely produced for scientific or medical demonstration, the print emphasizes the translucency of flesh and the opacity of metal in striking contrast, lending it a distinct aesthetic quality. Unlike most X-ray prints of the time, this example is signed and dated in ink. The signature most likely refers to the English company of the same name, Coxeter & Son, originally founded in 1836 as a manufacturer of medical instruments and later adapting its production to X-ray apparatus in response to growing demand in the late 1890s.
Views of Zwickau. 1870s. 12 albumen prints, mounted to cards. Each 11,3 x 15,8 cm (mounts 21,6 x 29,5 cm). Each with printed caption “Zwickau und Umgebung,” copyright information, and numbered and annotated in pencil below the image on the mount. Presented in the original green canvas portfolio with gilt-embossed title and decorative borders.
A cohesive group of 19th-century topographical photographs depicting Zwickau and its surroundings, combining views of prominent civic buildings, historic landmarks, and residential architecture with river landscapes and urban panoramas. The series presents both the city’s medieval heritage - such as the Gothic Gewandhaus - and its rapid late 19th-century development through Gründerzeit public and private buildings, reflecting Zwickau’s growing economic importance.
Photographer unknown. Advertising photo for biscuits. 1920s/1930s. Vintage gelatin silver print. 24 x 17,8 cm.
Spiegelung, Rathaus Besigheim. Ca. 1955. Vintage gelatin silver print, mounted to board. 26,7 x 20,2. Photographer's stamp on mount verso.
Appelt, Dieter
Vergrasung der Hände No. 2 from the "Erinnerungsspur" series
Los 4126
Schätzung
2.000€ (US$ 2,273)
Vergrasung der Hände No. 2 from the "Erinnerungsspur" series. 1977-79. Large-format gelatin silver print on Agfa paper, printed later. 49,3 x 39,8 cm. Signed, titled, dated, dedicated and editioned "e.a." by the photographer in pencil as well as "Kicken Pauseback" label on the verso.
Born in 1935 in Niemegk, Germany, Dieter Appelt's artistic development did not encompass photography until later in his artistic career. In 1954, he enrolled at the Mendelssohn Bartholdy Akademie in Leipzig to study music and vocal studies. As of 1964, he studied photography at the University of the Arts in Berlin. While pursuing a career as a professional singer in the 1970s, he also began to receive attention for his photography, painting, and sculpture, which became notable through his use of monumental sequences and tableaux compositions. By employing long exposure times, multiple exposures, shadow and mirror compositions, in his images Appelt explored themes such as memory, time, transience, life, death, and recurrence.
From the "Ezra Pound" sequence. 1982. Large-format gelatin silver print on Agfa paper, printed later. 39,7 x 30,5 cm. Signed, titled, and dedicated by the photographer in ink as well as copyright stamp, therein annotated "Probe"and dated "1982" on the verso.
Untitled. 1990. Large-format gelatin silver print on Agfa paper, printed later. 40,3 x 30,2 cm. Signed, dedicated by the photographer in pencil as well as copyright stamp, therein editioned "e.a." on the verso.
Boris, NYC. 1997. Chromogenic print, hinge-mounted to board. 61 x 50,5 cm (mount 66 x 56 cm). Signed, titled, dated and editioned "2/5" in pencil on the verso. Framed under glass in wooden frame.
David Armstrong was an American photographer associated with the Boston School of photography, known for his intimate, emotionally resonant portraiture. Emerging in the late 1970s, alongside his close friend Nan Goldin, he developed a distinctive style defined by natural light, shallow focus, and a quiet, contemplative mood. His portraits - often of friends, lovers, and fellow artists - evoke a strong sense of trust and vulnerability, capturing fleeting expressions and introspective moments.
Sean at the Bowery, NYC. 1997. Chromogenic print, hinge-mounted to board. 61 x 50,5 cm (mount 66 x 56 cm). Signed, titled, dated and editioned "3/5" in pencil on the verso. Framed under glass in wooden frame.
Andrew, New Haven Green. 1997. Chromogenic print, hinge-mounted to board. 61 x 50,5 cm (mount 66 x 56 cm). Signed, titled, dated and editioned "3/5" in pencil on the verso. Framed under glass in wooden frame.
Photographers: Maurice-Louis Branger (1878-1950), Agence Rol (active 1904-1937). Early aviation and aeronautical experiments in France. Ca. 1908-1913. 13 gelatin silver press photographs. Each ca. 12,7 x 18 cm. With press-agency copyright stamps, including “Copyright - Reproduction interdite / M. Rol, 4, rue Richer, Paris IXe” and “Copyright / M. Branger, 5, rue Cambon, Paris,” as well as annotated in blue ink on the verso.
These photographs place French aviation at a moment when scientific research and public spectacle still overlapped, tracing the shift from tethered man-lifting kites to powered aircraft presented before large crowds as signs of technological progress. The images show early box-like biplanes, experimental seaplanes tested on open water, and unconventional designs such as Jérôme Donnet’s circular-wing Donnet Aéraptère, photographed during ground and taxi tests at Suresnes shortly before the First World War. Together, they document a period of intense experimentation, when multiple approaches to flight coexisted before aviation assumed a more standardized form.
Myrdalssandur, Iceland. 1996. Gelatin silver print. 20 x 42 cm (sheet 25,2 x 47,4 cm). Signed and titled by the photographer in pencil on the verso.
Ragnar Axelsson has spent decades traveling throughout the Arctic, developing a powerful body of documentary work focused on life in extreme environments. Widely published in outlets such as Life, National Geographic, Stern, and Time, his photographs are noted for their stark visual intensity and human depth. His work documents communities in Iceland and the broader Arctic whose traditional ways of life are increasingly threatened by climate change.
Cyclamen (multiple exposure). 1930s. Vintage gelatin silver print, mounted to black card. 12 x 8,5 cm (sheet 14,5 x 10,4 cm, mount 21 x 18 cm). Photographer's label below the image on the mount.
The German photographer Max Baur is known for his contribution to the New Objectivity movement in the early 20th century. His photography primarily focused on industrial subjects, architecture, and urban landscapes, characterized by precise composition and sharp lines. Baur also created exquisite flower still life photographs, displaying his versatility and artistic depth. Beigegeben: 2 negatives of a cyclamen image, likely by Max Baur.
Literatur: Stephan Steins, ed. Max Baur im Geist des Bauhaus: Fotografien 1925-1960. Zurich: Stemmle, 2001, ill. p. 70 (variant).
Cherry blossoms. 1940s. Vintage gelatin silver print on doubleweight ivory paper. 30 x 21,6 cm. Photographer's copyright stamp on the verso,
Beaton, Cecil
Mick Jagger in the film "Performance" with Anita Pallenberg
Los 4136
Schätzung
600€ (US$ 682)
Mick Jagger with Anita Pallenberg in the film Performance. 1968. Vintage gelatin silver print. 23,2 x 28,3 cm. 2 agency stamps and label with typed press text on the verso.
Known for his glamorous celebrity portraits, Cecil Beaton also photographed on film sets. This image shows a very young Mick Jagger in his first screen role in Performance. Shot in 1968 but released only in 1970, the film was initially withheld by Warner Bros. due to its sexual content and graphic violence. Though it received mixed reviews at the time, it has since been reassessed as a highly influential and innovative work of the 1970s, featuring one of the most notable screen performances by a rock musician.
Hochöfen (Blast Furnaces). 1971. Collotype. 45 x 32 cm. Signed and numbered "98/300" by the photographers in pencil in lower margin, number notation in pencil on the verso.
Bernd and Hilla Becher, the influential German conceptual artists and photographers, collaborated throughout their careers to document industrial architecture with remarkable precision and consistency. They are best known for their extensive typologies of structures such as water towers, blast furnaces, and framework houses, often presented in grids to highlight formal similarities and regional variations. Their work, characterized by its objective style and conceptual rigor, significantly influenced the development of contemporary photography and led to the founding of the Düsseldorf School of Photography, shaping the practices of subsequent generations of photographers.
Portrait of Martin Engels, Gera. Ca. 1928. Vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print, mounted to board. 22,5 x 17,8 cm. Signed and annotated "Gera" by the photographer in pencil below the image on the mount; photographer's "d.w.b" stamp, therein numbered twice in pencil on the verso.
Aenne Biermann was a self-taught photographer whose work, though developed independently of the European avant-garde, aligns closely with the formal clarity and experimental spirit of modernism. Today, several of her images are regarded as icons of New Vision photography, and her work was included in the landmark Film und Foto exhibition in Stuttgart. Following her early death, much of her oeuvre was confiscated under National Socialism, and many prints and negatives remain lost. The present photograph, sent by Biermann to her friend Martin Engels, constitutes a rare and personal document within her oeuvre. Gertrud and Martin Engels, progressive educators and long-time neighbors of the Biermanns in Gera, were part of her close circle. Biermann frequently photographed the Engels family - particularly the children - and such images are now held in major international collections.
Three Men on Seine Steps. 1931. Gelatin silver print, printed later, mounted to original board. 26,5 x 34 cm. Signed and dated by the photographer in black ink in the lower right; signed, titled, and dated in ink and pencil on mount verso.
Ilse Bing's move from her birth city Frankfurt to the avant-garde and surrealist scene in Paris marked the start of the most notable period of her career. She produced images in the fields of photojournalism, architectural photography, advertising and fashion, and her work was published in magazines such as Le Monde Illustrée, Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. In 1931, Bing's work was exhibited in both France and Germany. Her rapid success as a photographer, and her position as the only professional in Paris to use an advanced Leica camera, earned her the title "Queen of the Leica", coined by the critic and photographer Emmanuel Sougez, whom she met in 1931.
Literatur: Larisa Dryansky and Edwynn Houk. Ilse Bing. Photography Through the Looking Glass. New York: Abrams, 2006, ill. p. 125.
Pier, New York. 1936. Vintage gelatin silver print on Agfa-Brovira paper, mounted in corners to original board. 19 x 28 cm. Signed and dated by the photographer in white ink in lower right.
Aerial landscapes. 1930s. 5 gelatin silver prints. Each 10,3 x 7,8 cm or reverse. With the photographer’s “A Margaret Bourke-White Photograph” stamp, as well as numbered in pencil on the verso.
These small-format prints by Margaret Bourke-White belong to a significant phase of her work in the 1930s, when she pioneered aerial photography as a modern visual language. Shot from aircraft, they transform natural landscapes into graphic compositions of light, shadow, and texture, emphasizing abstraction over topographical description. Rather than simple records, these images reflect her broader modernist approach, using elevated viewpoints to reveal underlying structures and patterns, and situating her among the earliest photographers to fully exploit the camera’s ability to reimagine the world from above.
Bauhausfotos portfolio. 1927-1931. 10 gelatin silver prints, printed 1993, hinge-mounted in mats. Each ca. 23,5 x 17,5 cm. Each photograph with portfolio stamp on the verso, therein numbered “23” (of 30). Presented in original canvas clamshell box with text and colophon sheet. Sabine Hartmann and Karsten Hitz (eds.) for Bauhaus-Archiv GmbH, Berlin, 1993.
The portfolio brings together key photographs by Marianne Brandt from her Bauhaus period, reflecting her experimental engagement with reflection, material, and self-representation. Several works - including Selbstportrait in der Kugel gespiegelt, Das Atelier in der Kugel I-II, and Selbstportrait mit Schmuck zum Metallischen Fest - explore the artist’s image through mirrored surfaces and spherical distortions, dissolving the boundary between subject and object. Complementary still lifes, such as Spiegelungen (Stilleben aus Metall und Glas) and Stilleben in der Metallwerkstatt, emphasize the interplay of light, texture, and industrial materials, while Bauhausbühne I-II document performative aspects of the Bauhaus stage. The group is completed by Selbstportrait, Doppelbelichtung, in which Brandt uses photographic superimposition to further destabilize a fixed sense of identity. Together, the works exemplify the innovative spirit of Bauhaus photography, combining formal experimentation with a probing exploration of perception and modern subjectivity.
Literatur: Marianne Brandt. Fotografien am Bauhaus. Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz, 2003, ill. pp. 45, 47, 49, 51, 55, 57, 71, 82, 83 and front cover.
Six-Day cycle race at the Vélodrome d’Hiver. 1931-33. Vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print, hinge-mounted along the upper edge to mat. 23,6 x 27,5 cm. Photographer’s “Photo Brassaï, Copyright by Gyula Halász, 74, rue de la Glacière, Paris (13e)” stamp and number in pencil on the verso.
At the age of 25, Brassaï settled in Paris, where he quickly immersed himself in the city’s cultural milieu, forming close connections with figures such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Henri Matisse, while engaging with the Surrealist movement and city life at night. His photographs have since become iconic, ranging from enigmatic night views of the French capital - often shrouded in fog or drenched in rain - to portraits of celebrities and ordinary people, as well as scenes of cafés, dance halls, and graffiti on Parisian walls.
Describing himself as a “creator of images,” Brassaï sought to capture fleeting moments of light within darkness, revealing a poetic dimension in everyday life. His explorations led him to document the “secret” Paris of bars, cabarets, and brothels, portraying those on the margins of society with the same immediacy and dignity as members of the cultural elite.
Paris, Boulevard de la Gare. 1935. Vintage gelatin silver print on chamois paper. 23,8 x 28 cm. Annotated and dated in pencil on the verso.
Josef Breitenbach was a self-taught photographer who turned to the medium in the early 1930s, opening his first studio in Munich in 1932, where he focused on press and studio work. Following the rise of National Socialism, he was forced to emigrate in 1933, first to Paris, where he continued his practice until 1941, and subsequently to New York. There, he established a third studio and remained active as a photographer until his death in 1984.
Bruguière, Francis Joseph
Experiment (multiple exposure)
Los 4145
Schätzung
2.000€ (US$ 2,273)
Experiment (multiple exposure). Ca. 1926. Vintage gelatin silver print on doubleweight paper. 23,8 x 18,3 cm.
Both an artist and a photographer, Francis Bruguière studied under Frank Eugene and was acquainted with Alfred Stieglitz. Between 1919-1927 he had a studio in New York while taking portraits for Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Vogue. In 1928, Bruguière moved his studio to London. In the same year he had a solo exhibition in Herbert Walden's avant-garde gallery Der Sturm in Berlin. He remained in London until 1937.
Literatur: James Enyeart. Francis Bruguière: His Photographs and his Life. New York: Knopf, 1977, ill. plate 28.
Bruguière, Francis Joseph
Portrait study, Cynthia Fuller (multiple exposure)
Los 4146
Schätzung
900€ (US$ 1,023)
Portrait study, Cynthia Fuller (multiple exposure). 1929. Vintage gelatin silver print on doubleweight paper, mounted to mat. 23,8 x 18,6 cm.
Bruguière, Francis Joseph
Solarization of a negative from "The Way"
Los 4147
Schätzung
2.000€ (US$ 2,273)
Solarization of a negative from The Way. Ca. 1936-40. Vintage gelatin silver print on doubleweight paper. 25,2 x 20,2 cm.
Literatur: James Enyeart. Francis Bruguière: His Photographs and his Life. New York: Knopf, 1977, ill. plate 100 (variant).
Robert Frank, Cape Breton. 1998. Gelatin silver print, printed later. 21,2 x 32 cm (sheet 27,5 x 35,5 cm). Signed, titled and dated by the photographer in pencil, as well as photographer's copyright stamp on the verso.
During his long career as a cameraman and photographer, Norbert Bunge developed close connections with a wide range of photographers. Among them was the otherwise reclusive Robert Frank, whom he met and photographed.
Literatur: Mathias Bertram, ed. Norbert Bunge: Fotografien. Leipzig: Lehmstedt 2017, ill. p. 124.
Male nude. Early 1930s. Vintage warm-toned gelatin silver print. 20 x 11 cm. Photographer's stamp on the verso.
Will Burgdorf began his career as a photographer in 1930, and by 1931, had established a studio at Lister Platz in Hanover. He specialized in portraiture and expressively posed nudes, often depicting his sitters with closed eyes, lending his images a distinctive sense of inward contemplation. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Burgdorf’s career came to an abrupt end, and he was reported missing in 1945.
Nude on Building, Providence. 1970. Dye transfer print, printed 1980s. 18,5 x 18,2 cm (sheet 23,7 x 20,9 cm). Signed by the photographer in pencil in lower margin.
Harry Callahan’s color photographs, produced in the later years of his career, are widely celebrated for their vivid, introspective, and often abstract qualities. Exploring a wide range of subjects - from landscapes and cityscapes to portraiture - Callahan used color to add a new dimension of depth and emotional resonance, further enriching his already distinguished body of work.
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E-Mail: info (at) bassenge.com
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© 2026 Galerie Gerda Bassenge
Galerie Bassenge
Erdener Str. 5A
14193 Berlin
Öffnungszeiten:
Montag bis Donnerstag, 10–18 Uhr,
Freitag, 10–16 Uhr
Telefon: +49 30 8938029-0
Fax: +49 30 8918025
E-Mail: info (at) bassenge.com
Impressum
Datenschutzerklärung
© 2026 Galerie Gerda Bassenge