From Katy Donoghue’s interview with Aimee Pflieger, Assistant Vice President, Specialist, and Head of Sale at Sotheby’s Photographs, for Whitewall:
WW: Included in the sale are a range of works informed by the LGBTQ experience. What are some of the earliest pieces?
AP: One of the most notable lots features a copy of Walt Whitman’s landmark collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass, inscribed by Whitman in 1868 to Peter Doyle, his lover. 2019 marks the 200th birthday of Whitman, and Leaves of Grass remains just as fresh and relevant today as when he self-published it in 1855.
Other important early works included in the sale is Ludwig von Hoffmann’s Bathers (formerly in the collection of Sir Elton John), and an ink and wash drawing by Frederic Remington (1861-1909).
WW: What are some of the more recent works of note?
AP: There are several outstanding works in the sale that were created in the last few decades, including pieces by David Benjamin Sherry, Lissa Rivera, Youssef Nabil, Nir Hod, Jayne County, and Jeff Burton. Shantell Martin, known for her large, black and white line drawings (including the unforgettable recent work in the lobby of the New York City Ballet) is represented by an acrylic on canvas.