If the Women Artists Market Report compiled by Artsy indicates that only 25% of works by women photographers are sold at auction in 2023, it is equally true that interest in their works at Finarte’s recent sale on October 15th far exceeded this percentage. The auction room in Milan recorded nearly complete sales, generating numerous bids.
The star of the sale was American photographer Cindy Sherman, whose widely published work Untitled #119 (1983) sold for €35,370, making it the top lot of the auction. This work secured second place on the Italian record podium, tying with another piece. If we set aside auction results from 2011 and 2017, which may now be less relevant, this achievement is particularly noteworthy.
An excellent result was also seen for Francesca Woodman, an American photographer with a deep connection to Italy, especially Rome. Her work Untitled (1979/1980)—a print made by Igor Bakht, signed and numbered by Betty and George Woodman—was highly sought after, selling for €16,470 against an estimate of €4,000-6,000, thus breaking the record for the sale of one of her works in Italy.
Also featured was Margaret Bourke-White, the first woman photographer for Life magazine and a pioneer of photojournalism. Her works are rare on the Italian market, with only 21 sold since 2001. Her silver salt gelatin print Political Rally in Small German Town (1938), a slightly later print from the 1940s/1950s, was offered and sold for €2,070.
Shirin Neshat, an Iranian artist and photographer popular in the United States, continued to attract attention at Finarte auctions. Her unique C-print, Game of Desire – Solo #1 (2008), sold for €9,540.
Vanessa Beecroft, an Italian photographer with a significant international following, was auctioned with a smaller piece (Schipper and Krome, 1994/2000) that sold for €5,640.
Italian photographer Silvia Camporesi, despite her relatively young age (born 1973) and career, has been active in the auction market since 2008. Her work Orologio (Ficarolo) (2014) confirmed its estimate, selling for €1,680.
In this sale, Berenice Abbott and Beth Moon were less fortunate, while two small works from 1995 by Milanese artist Alessandra Spranzi found new buyers, each selling for €774.
