591 - August Sander* (Herdorf 1876 - 1964 Cologne)

August Sander* (Herdorf 1876 - 1964 Cologne) Gottfried Brokmann, 1924 gelatin silver print 25,2 x 18,2 cm verso label issued/copyrighted by 1986 August Sander Archive, 51 Greene St., New YorkN.Y. 10013, as well as credits and "Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts" later print around 1986, mounted 43,6 x 33,6 cm SCHÄTZPREIS / ESTIMATE € 1600 - 2800 STARTPREIS / STARTING PRICE € 1600 August Sander (1876–1964) was a German photographer and one of the most significant figures in modern portrait and documentary photography. He is best known for his extensive project People of the 20th Century (Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts), in which he documented German society through a systematic series of portraits representing various social groups and professions. His objective, frontally composed images largely eschew psychological staging, combining precise observation with a distinctive typological arrangement. Many of his most important works were created during the Weimar Republic; at the same time, Sander photographed landscapes, architecture, and cityscapes. His studio in Cologne became a key site for modern photography, and his work later served as a vital reference point for the evolution of documentary portrait photography. Sander’s objective, typological approach to imagery aligns with the international context of modern documentary photography and invites comparison with figures such as Walker Evans and Paul Strand. In the United States, Evans developed a similarly sober, precise form of social documentation, while Strand combined portraiture and social observation with a formally rigorous visual language. Also relevant to the broader photographic landscape is Edward Steichen, whose 1955 exhibition The Family of Man articulated an international, humanistic perspective on humanity, thereby providing a later context for Sander’s concept of a comprehensive photographic portrayal of society. Terms such as Weimar Republic, portrait photography, documentary photography, social portraiture, typology, People of the 20th Century, New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit), Walker Evans, Paul Strand, Edward Steichen, and The Family of Man characterize key aspects of Sander’s body of work and his enduring legacy. PLEASE NOTE: The purchase price consists of the highest bid plus the buyer's premium, sales tax and, if applicable, the fee of artists resale rights and platform fee. In the case of normal taxation (marked ° at the estimate), a premium of 24% is added to the highest bid. The mandatory sales tax is added to the sum of the highest bid, the buyer's premium and platform fee. This amounts to 13% for paintings, drawings, graphic works and sculptures and 20% for photographs and all other items. The buyer's premium amounts to 28% in case of differential taxation. The sales tax is included in the differential taxation.