Best known for his roles in Pretty Woman and An Officer and a Gentleman, Richard Gere is also an avid collector of photography. Over the years, the actor amassed more than 150 images, many of which will be auctioned later this month at Christie’s.
Despite not referring to himself as an art collector, Gere owns images taken by some of the most famous photographic greats including Gustave Le Gray, Edward Weston, Robert Maplethorpe and Sally Mann. He first developed an interest in photography through his friend and famed fashion photographer Herb Ritts. In 1977, the pair worked together on a shoot that springboarded both their careers and encouraged Gere to pay attention to the person behind the lens.
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In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the actor explained that initially he was more drawn to the creative size of processing and printing images than he was on collecting them.
“I’ve tried many different processes in my own photographs from salt to platinum to silver and almost anything in between”
This isn’t the first time Gere has put his possessions up for sale at Christie’s. In 2011, he sold a collection of guitars that fetched just over $936,000, including a $98,500 1960 Gibson Les Paul Kalamazoo.
Ahead of putting the collection up to view at Christie’s between the 1 and 4 April, the auction house has specially selected a few of the photos that will be available to buy with estimated prices ranging from $6,000 for a Diane Arbus piece to an eye-watering $100,000 for the iconic 1936 Edward Weston 7 ½ x 9 ½ in print, Nude on Sand.
Many of the images in the collection were acquired directly from the photographers with who Gere remains friends with. The series of 19th and 20th-century photos will be up for auction from 23 March with bidding ending on 7 April.
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