Banking on the axiom that sex sells, luxury French fashion house Saint Laurent has teamed up with auction house Christie’s to present Madonna x Meisel – The Sex Photographs. The live sale will take place in New York on the 6th of October 2023, and comprises over 40 one-off editions of the Meisel photographs.
One notable photograph is simply titled Madonna, New York, 1992, archival pigment print. Depicting the performer sitting with her head in her hands with a male model in the background, the print is expected to fetch around $150,000-200,000USD.
The Christie’s auction follows the re-edition of the seminal Sex book last year. First released in 1992, Sex contained iconic imagery captured by renowned photographer Steven Meisel as well as written text by Madonna where she introduced her persona, Dita.
Upon its release, the book became a controversial and cultural phenomenon due to its erotic material and liberated attitudes towards sexual self-expression. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the tome, Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello released a limited re-edition which swiftly sold out.
Ahead of the auction at Christie’s later this year, a curated selection of photographs will be traveling to London (May 23 – June 2) and Paris (June 27 – July 6). A portion of the proceeds for the sale will benefit Raising Malawi, which works to support Malawi’s orphans and vulnerable children with critical resources.
Words by AR Staff
