Estimate: $300 - $500
Price Realized: $192 Includes buyer's premium
comprising volumes on American photography, Japanese photography, along with volumes on contemporary and modern photography
largest: 12¾ x 9¾ inches
"Posing Beauty" by Deborah Willis signed
The Estate of Robert A. Blake
overall in good condition, with handling wear throughout, resulting in minor losses, creases, with gentle toning to most volumes
If you are interested in bidding, please contact us to request more photos, or make an appointment for in-person inspection. To ensure prompt assistance, we recommend reaching out at least 24 hours before the auction by calling 212-353-2277 or emailing us at admin@capsuleauctions.com.
Condition reports are based on visual inspection by the Capsule team under typical office lighting. Unless otherwise noted, items are not examined under UV light in advance of sale. We do not guarantee the content of written or verbal condition reports. Remember, all lots are previously owned and all sales are final. The absence of a condition report does not imply that there are no condition issues with the lot.
Art has not been examined out of the frame unless otherwise stated. Frames, lampshades, or items described as “supplementary” are not considered integral to the value of the lot and are excluded from condition assessments. This includes any mat, mounting, glazing, hanging apparatus, case, box, or stand. Timepiece movements, lighting elements and items with mechanical or electrical components have not been thoroughly tested and are not covered under warranty by Capsule.
Robert A. Blake was an artist, educator, author, photographer, and founding team member of 601Artspace. From 1985 to 2008, Blake directed the one-year certificate General Studies program at the International Center of Photography in New York City. Fluent in French, he was a visiting artist at the Ecole Superieure National de la Photographie, France, and received an Etant Donnée grant for his solo exhibit, “Legend,” Paris.
Throughout his life, he collected books in English and French to enhance his self-directed education and to inspire his students, who came from all over the world. The collection includes works by renowned photographers such as Robert Frank, Dayanita Singh, Luigi Ghirri, Man Ray, Ansel Adams, Sophie Calle, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Lewis Baltz, Martine Fougeron, Roy DeCarava, Emmet Gowin, and many emerging artists. His library covers art history, documentary photography, the sociology of art and photography, political and cultural studies, and criticism. Many of the volumes are signed by artists with whom he collaborated, often books he helped to edit or for which he wrote introductions.
Blake sought to understand photography’s role in modern culture and its potential to alter our perceptions, revealing truths that might otherwise remain hidden. His love of visual storytelling and art encompassed many fields, and he read widely to understand photography’s role in culture, social change, politics, and the arts.
Photo by Matthew Monteith
