More than 100 signed photographs by British music photographer Gered Mankowitz will go to auction in Wiltshire on September 7, offering collectors images of artists including the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Kate Bush, Oasis, Duran Duran, and Wham!. The wider personal archive contains more than 250 lots and is expected to attract international interest.
Mankowitz, 80, is selling the collection as he and his wife Julia prepare to downsize their home and move from Cornwall to Wales. The sale is being handled by Gardiner Houlgate in Corsham, Wiltshire.
The auction house says the collection includes signed limited-edition and exhibition prints, artist proofs, experimental works, rare books, promotional material, music memorabilia, and more than 500 vinyl records. Many of the records feature Mankowitz’s own photography on their covers.
Archive Covers Six Decades of Music Photography
Mankowitz began his career in the early 1960s and became closely associated with some of the best-known musicians of the period. He photographed the Rolling Stones extensively and was also among the first British photographers to work with Jimi Hendrix.
His photographs later appeared on album covers for artists including Kate Bush, Elton John, George Harrison, The Jam, Slade, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, 10cc, Sparks, and ABC. Among the best-known examples are Kate Bush’s Lionheart and the Rolling Stones’ Between the Buttons.
The archive extends beyond still photography. Gardiner Houlgate says the sale also includes Mankowitz’s professionally used Hasselblad camera equipment and an Ink Icon prototype Fender Stratocaster, along with personal material accumulated during more than 60 years in music and entertainment.
Auctioneer Expects International Interest
Auctioneer Luke Hobbs described the collection as a record of British popular music as well as Mankowitz’s personal career. Gardiner Houlgate said the photographs have been difficult to value because collectors may place considerable weight on their cultural associations and provenance.
The sale is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on September 7 and will be available through a live webcast. Gardiner Houlgate has listed it as “The Gered & Julia Mankowitz Archive Collection & Entertainment Memorabilia.”
Mankowitz said seeing the photographs removed from the walls of his home has been difficult, but the sale forms part of the couple’s decision to reduce the size of their personal collection before moving.
Featured image credits: Flickr
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