21 May 2016 Photography Auctions
21 May 2016
62. BALTERMANTS, DMITRY (1912-1990)
Soviet Soldiers Inspecting the Downed Nazi Plane near Hindenburgplatz in Breslau, signed, stamped with the photographer's estate stamp and titled in Cyrillic on the reverse.
Gelatin silver print, 41 by 60 cm.
800-1,200 GBP
Photographed in 1945, printed c. 1960s.
The photograph was published in the Ogoniok magazine (stamp on the reverse).
Provenance: Estate of the photographer.
Acquired directly from the above by the previous owner.
Acquired from the above by the present owner.
Private collection, Europe.
Dmitry Baltermants (1912–1990), a prominent Soviet photojournalist and war correspondent, earned his fame during World War II, in particular thanks to his coverage of the Battles of Stalingrad and Moscow, and military offensives in the Crimea. One of his most famous photographs is Grief, from the series “That’s How it Was”, capturing the massacre by the Nazis of the Kerch inhabitants in 1941. After the war, Baltermants worked as photo editor at the magazine Ogoniok. Many of his war images were initially censored because of their disturbing content and were only first published in the 1960s during the Thaw. Baltermants had personal exhibitions in London and New York, and was one of the very few photographers of the Soviet era who won widespread acclaim in the West during his lifetime.
Notes on symbols:
* Indicates 5% Import Duty Charge applies.
Ω Indicates 20% Import Duty Charge applies.
§ Indicates Artist's Resale Right applies.
† Indicates Standard VAT scheme applies, and the rate of 20% VAT will be charged on both hammer price and premium.