Madonna x Meisel – The SEX Photographs
Christie’s announced its participation in the ongoing 30th anniversary celebration initiated by Madonna and Saint Laurent’s re-issue of SEX, the boundary pushing 1992 photography book by Madonna and Steven Meisel that upon its release became a controversial, cultural sensation around the globe, due to its erotic content and liberated views of sexual self-expression and still remains the best and fastest selling coffee table book of all time.
As part of the project Christie’s will present Madonna x Meisel – The SEX Photograph , an auction of over 40 works, as editions of one, in a live sale taking place in New York on October 6, 2023.
Ahead of the auction a curated selection of photographs will be on view in London, Paris and New York:
- London: 23 May – 2 June
- Paris: 27 June – 6 July
- New York: 30 September – 6 October
Steven Meisel and Madonna wrote in an joint Instagram post:
It took us 4 Decades and several Provocative photo shoots to open people’s minds through ART!
It took @stevenmeiselofficial almost as long to join Instagram – just in time to announce our Christie’s auction, to benefit @raisingmalawiProof that great causes can move mountains. 😜♥️
Darius Himes, Christie’s Deputy Chairman, International Head of Photographs, said in a statement:
The much-deserved hype and white-hot energy given off by Madonna in the early 1990s was conveyed and immortalized through Steven Meisel’s photographs. He knew how to capture the allure and sexuality of pop’s reigning queen in a way that was unrivalled. In the intervening 30 years since her infamous SEX book was released—shot exclusively in collaboration with Meisel—what has become clear is how truly iconic those photographs remain. They sit at a moment in art history of the late 20th century that both summarizes a moment, playful and prescient, and hints at the future of public stardom driven by image-conscious figures. These images are nothing short of brilliant.
For more info: christies.com
