Christie's to sell collection of Kate Moss images

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

photo This image made available by Christie's auction house shows an image of British model Kate Moss, "Kate," 2007 by Chuck Close.

Few people have been photographed more often than Kate Moss, and some of the most famous images of the supermodel are going under the hammer at a Christie's auction this fall.

The sale, announced Wednesday, includes a shot of Moss encased in bronze glitter by Allen Jones and images by well-known photographers including Annie Leibovitz, Bruce Weber, Mario Testino, Sam Taylor-Wood and Irving Penn.

The works, collectively valued at about $1.52 million, have been assembled by German collector Gert Elfering. He called Moss a "living icon."

"Kate is the ultimate modern muse and we will be seeing her images in major museums and private collections for years to come," he says.

Moss has been a star since she was discovered as a teenager in the late 1980s. Her waif-like looks took fashion by storm, though she has also been criticized for her association with the super-skinny style known as "heroin chic."

Now 39, Moss remains among the world's best-known and best-paid models. Christie's director of photographs Philippe Garner says she was "the greatest icon of style of the modern age."

Lots up for auction include a 1992 image of Moss nude on a couch by Mario Sorrenti, valued at $45,000 to $75,000.

There's also a 2002 image by Craig McDean of Moss wearing a jacket and reading "God Save the Queen," with an estimate of $60,000 to $90,000, and a 3-D hologram image on a lightbox by Chris Levine estimated at between 1$152,000 and $227,000.

In addition to photographs, the sale includes a Peter Blake collage, a Jacquard tapestry by Chuck Close and - a must for every living room - an 18-carat gold sculpture of Moss as a naked angel by Nick Knight.

The works will be sold at Christie's in London on Sept. 25.