LONDON.- On 19 May in London, Sotheby’s will offer at auction an outstanding single-owner collection of photographs, The Discerning Eye: Property from the Collection of Eric Franck, Part 1. The sale comprises 119 lots which showcase different shades of modernism around the world ranging from well-known Magnum photographers to lesser-known artists such as Heinz Hajek-Halke and Pentti Sammallahti.

Eric Franck has for many years been synonymous with both expertise and rarity in the photographic world. Through his decades of experience both as a fine art dealer and collector, his appreciation and curatorial influence has shaped our understanding of some of the most celebrated photographers of the 20th century, thus contributing substantially to the modern vision of photography.

Through his personal connections with photographers, such as his sister Martine Franck and her husband Henri Cartier-Bresson, Eric has had unique access to some of the most significant and iconic works of the photographic canon. In 2012 Eric and his wife Louise gifted the Tate over 1,400 photographs of London by 120 artists dating from the 1880s to the 2000s. This incredibly generous donation doubled the museums entire holdings of photographs, and has made a significant contribution to the nation’s understanding and appreciation of photography as an artistic medium.

Presented for auction in Part 1 is a carefully selected group of works from Erik’s personal collection, including rare prints by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Horacio Coppola amongst others. Part 2 will be held at Sotheby’s in Paris in November.

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON
• Henri Cartier-Bresson ‘Delancey Street Kids, New York’, c. 1947 Early silver print, probably unique Estimate £8,000-12,000

• Henri Cartier-Bresson ‘Barcelona, Spain’, 1933 Silver print, printed by Henri Cartier-Bresson in 1946 Estimate £40,000-60,000
This work – a unique, museum quality photograph – comes from the original scrapbook exhibited in Photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Museum of Modern Art, New York, February 5th – April 6th, 1947. Barcelona, Spain, 1933, is a rare example of one of Cartier-Bresson’s early explorations with photography. In 1932, he purchased a 35mm Leica camera, something which he would quickly become inseparable from, referring to it as his notebook. The use of a small camera enhanced his ability to capture the quotidian, which is evident in Barcelona. The composition seems unbalanced, which is emphasised by the uneven angles and cropped figure in the foreground. Cartier-Bresson’s spontaneous yet artistic photographs, such as this one, played an important role in establishing photojournalism as an art form and ultimately garnered him international fame as one of the century’s greatest photographers.

• Henri Cartier-Bresson Le DDT a Dessau, 1945 Vintage silver print, printed by Henri Cartier- Bresson Estimate £30,000-50,000
Cartier-Bresson rarely printed his own photographs, and this work also comes from the original scrapbook exhibited in Photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1947.

• Henri Cartier-Bresson ‘Beijing’, December 1948 Silver print, printed c. 1957 Edition has never been realised Estimate £20,000-30,000
Further to co-founding Magnum, Cartier-Bresson began travelling extensively, capturing humane and candid photographs during some of the most significant moments in recent history. After documenting the death of Gandhi in India, CartierBresson travelled to China for the final six months of Kuomintang and the first six months of the communist People’s Republic. Beijing, December 1948 captures the significance this period had on everyday people. A peasant who has come to Beijing to sell his vegetables sits eating in the foreground, whilst behind a shopkeeper looks down, resigned to the fact he has nothing to sell in his store. What appears to be a spontaneous moment seems to powerfully illustrate the extreme political climate in China.

• Henri Cartier-Bresson ‘Brussels, Belgium’, 1932 Silver print, printed later Estimate £7,000-10,000

• Henri Cartier-Bresson ‘The Visit of Cardinal Pacelli, Montmartre, Paris’, 1938 Silver print, printed 1957 Estimate £25,000-35,000

JOSEF KOUDELKA
• Josef Koudelka ‘Reconstruction of a Homicide. In the Foreground: a Young Gipsy Suspected of Being Guilty, Czechoslovakia, Solvaki, Jarabina’, 1963 Silver print, printed later Estimate £18,000-23,000
Koudelka has spent his entire life living nomadic existence. It is, perhaps, for this reason that his studies on gypsies are exceptionally poignant, as he no doubt identified with their way of life. A Young Gypsy suspected of being guilty, 1963, captures a young gypsy handcuffed in the foreground, whilst behind stand onlookers and police. The figure is taking part in a murder reconstruction, of which he is suspected of being guilty. The panic and fear on the young man’s face makes this a particularly powerful image, and it is also indicative of the treatment of gypsies in Europe at the time.

• Josef Koudelka ‘Portugal’, 1976 Silver print, printed later Estimate £18,000-23,000
In 1976, Koudelka’s travels led him to Portugal, where he photographed the Douro region, focusing primarily on traditional customs and religious rituals. Portugal, 1976 depicts what seems to be a moment of normal conversation between a young child, leaning against a wall, and a woman standing poised and upright; behind a shaft of light is interrupted by the shadow of a man. The photograph is natural, yet the composition intriguing, a brilliant example of Koudelka’s ability to capture the everyday in an unusual manner.

• Josef Koudelka ‘Prague’, 1968 Digital print from the original negative, printed 2008, flush-mounted to card Estimate £6,000-8,000
Koudelka’s documentation of one of the most pivotal and dramatic weeks in twentieth-century European history, the Russian invasion of Prague in 1968, is testament to his desire to record his social surroundings. He has suggested that at the time he was not even aware of the concept of photojournalism, and that “it was just important to photograph what I was part of.” The extent to which he risked his life to capture these photos is evident in these moving photographs of the spontaneous protests in Prague that saw the death of many.

• Josef Koudelka ‘Prague’, 1968 Digital print from the original negative, printed 2008, flush-mounted to card Estimate £6,000-8,000
Koudelka’s documentation of one of the most pivotal and dramatic weeks in twentieth-century European history, the Russian invasion of Prague in 1968, is testament to his desire to record his social surroundings. He has suggested that at the time he was not even aware of the concept of photojournalism, and that “it was just important to photograph what I was part of.” The extent to which he risked his life to capture these photos is evident in these moving photographs of the spontaneous protests in Prague that saw the death of many.

HORACIO COPPOLA
• Horacio Coppola ‘Buenos Aires’, 1936 Vintage silver print Estimate £5,000-7,000

• Horacio Coppola ‘Avenida de Mayo, Buenos Aires’, 1936 Vintage silver print Estimate £5,000-7,000

FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS
• Gérard Castello-Lopes ‘Alcantara, Lisboa’, October 1957 Vintage silver print, probably unique Estimate £3,000-5,000

• Martine Franck ‘Luberon, France’, 1976 Silver print, printed later Estimate £1,500-2,000

• Chris Killip ‘Youth on a Wall, Jarrow, Tyneside’, 1976 Silver print, printed 2015 on Forma paper Estimate £5,000-7,000

• Roger Mayne ‘In the Street, Burngreave, Sheffield’, 1961 Vintage silver print on Agfa paper Estimate £3,000-5,000

• Heinz Hajek-Halke ‘Der Gassenhauer (the Popular Song)’, 1927 Silver print, printed 1979 Estimate £10,000-15,000