Women Identity in the Photography Auction

On Tuesday 21 January 2025, at 14:00, Cambi Auction House’s live auction dedicated to Photography will take place. With 119 selected lots, the catalogue traces the entire history of photography, up to the most innovative contemporary research, offering a complete narrative of the medium. Before the auction, the works will be on display from Thursday 16 January to Saturday 18 January, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Monday 20 January from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Among the highlights, three masterpieces offer an important reflection on female identity and the way in which the figure of the woman has been represented in the social and cultural context.

The first work is a self-portrait by Cindy Sherman, ‘Untitled #555’, created between 2010 and 2012. In this photograph, the artist portrays herself as a clown, an identity that, as is customary in Sherman’s work, represents a reflection on the assumption of roles and masks. The composition, characterised by intense, saturated colours, accentuates the ambiguity and drama inherent in the figure of the clown, making the image powerful and disturbing. This work is considered a rare and significant example of the artist’s production, especially in the Italian market.

The second lot is a self-portrait by Francesca Woodman, a pioneering artist in the exploration of personal identity through the medium of photography. The work, entitled ‘Untitled, Rome’ and created between 1977 and 1978, is an important testimony to Woodman’s ability to narrate her own, often complex, experience through a unique and deeply emotional visual poetics.

The third work is a creation by the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat, entitled ‘Speechless’ and dated 1996. This work addresses fundamental issues related to female identity in Iranian culture, a central theme in the artist’s production. In her works, Neshat often depicts women and men in opposition, exploring the dynamics of power and silence. In ‘Speechless’, the face of the woman portrayed is covered with Arabic script, evoking what is concealed by the fundamentalist culture of her country.

A special section of the catalogue is reserved for the figure of Marilyn Monroe, a timeless icon of cinema and popular culture. This section brings together shots that range from the most intimate and private portraits, revealing the human and vulnerable side of the actress, to images that immortalise her magnetic charm on the set and in the roles that made her famous throughout the world.