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Leica M6 William Klein no. 2555500
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Leica M6 William Klein no. 2555500
Price Realized
(Set Currency)
  • £9,400
  • ($15,369)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £10,000 - £15,000
  • ($16,350 - $24,525)

Sale Information

Sale 9638
LEICA, NIKON AND 35MM CAMERAS
3 June 2003
London, South Kensington





Lot Description

Leica M6 William Klein no. 2555500
anthracite-grey metallic finish, snake leather body covering, the top plate with red-painted filled engraving WILLIAM KLEIN facsimile signature and IL N'Y A PAS DE LIBERTE... SANS LIBERTé DE LA PRESSE. REPORTERS SANS FRONTIèRES, with a Leica Summilux-M f/1.4 35mm. lens no. 3906333, in maker's presentation case; Certificate of Authenticity and instruction booklet, carrying strap and accessories, in maker's box

Special Notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Pre-Lot Text

A unique Leica M6 camera made by Leica Camera to benefit Reporters sans Frontières

Literature

http://www.leica-camera.com/unternehmen/presse/data/02386/index_e.html

Lot Notes

Condition: 1A(i)
Cosmetic: New. Factory condition, apparently unused.
Mechanical: New. Apparently working correctly.
Lenses:New. Apparently unused.

This camera was made by Leica Camera with the support of the renowned photographer William Klein to benefit Reporters Sans Frontières. It is unique.

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) is an international organisation which has been promoting and defending press freedom around the world for over fifteen years, campaigning for journalists who have been arrested, injured or killed while doing their job. RSF now has offices in Belgium, Germany, the Ivory Coast, the UK, Italy, Japan, Canada, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and the USA and correspondents in over 100 countries. Further details are available at http://www.rsf.org.

William Klein is one of the most controversial and influential artists of the twentieth century. Born in 1928, Klein began as a painter before taking up photography. In the mid-1850s he invented a new, shocking style of photography. With his explosive and iconoclastic approach, he captures the chaos and madness of a city, breaking all the rules of conventional photography in the process. Klein goes after the urban crowd with a wide-angle lens, with confrontational close-ups, instinctive grab shots, high contrast and harsh printing methods.

This camera is the second custom-made Leica to bear the name of a celebrated photographer and donated for charity. In June 1998, a Leica M6 bearing the signature of Henri Cartier-Bresson was sold at Christie's for £25,300. (approx. E37,000).

Post-Lot Text

End of Sale

The next sale of cameras will take place on 15 July, 9 September and 18 November 2003. For further information see: www.christies.com/cameras

Christie's will be offering a major European single-owner collection of Leica on 9 September 2003.