The Making of a Photographer

Born on October 2, 1949, in Waterbury, Connecticut, Annie Leibovitz grew up in a military family that moved frequently across the United States. It was this itinerant upbringing, and an early habit of recording places and faces she feared losing, that first drew her to image-making. She enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 1960s, intending to study painting, but a darkroom class changed everything. Within a short time, photography had become her primary language.

In 1970, at 21, Leibovitz walked into the offices of Rolling Stone magazine in San Francisco with a portfolio of photographs. Jann Wenner, the magazine’s founding editor, was struck by what he saw and gave her an assignment immediately. Her first published photograph ran on the cover of Rolling Stone in January 1971: a portrait of John Lennon taken during a session that would become one of the defining moments of her early career. She was hired as a staff photographer, and by 1973 had been named the magazine’s chief photographer, a title she held until 1983, during which time she produced some of the most memorable celebrity portraiture of the era.

The thirteen years she spent at Rolling Stone established the visual grammar that would define her reputation. She photographed musicians, actors, athletes, and politicians with an intimacy that felt genuinely earned rather than performed. Her subjects included the Rolling Stones on tour, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bette Midler. Her approach was immersive: she would spend extended time with subjects, often traveling with them, building enough trust that the camera seemed to disappear. The resulting photographs felt less like posed portraits and more like brief, honest glimpses into private lives.

Vanity Fair, Vogue, & the Portrait at Scale

In 1983, Leibovitz transitioned to Vanity Fair, where she would spend the next several decades producing work that would extend and deepen her reputation. The editorial budgets and production scale available at Vanity Fair allowed her to realize increasingly ambitious visual concepts. Her portraits from this period are among the most widely reproduced magazine images in American publishing history: Demi Moore, visibly pregnant, photographed nude on the August 1991 cover; Whoopi Goldberg submerged in a bath of milk; a reclining Keith Haring covered in body paint. These images were not simply photographs; they were cultural events.

Alongside her editorial work for Vanity Fair, Leibovitz has contributed extensively to Vogue, photographing fashion campaigns and portraits for both the American and international editions. Her advertising clients have included American Express, Honda, and Louis Vuitton. The latter campaign, which featured major cultural figures, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Catherine Deneuve, and Keith Richards, in travel settings, became one of the most celebrated advertising series of the 2000s.

December 8, 1980, produced what many consider the most significant single photograph of her career. In the hours before John Lennon’s assassination, Leibovitz photographed him curled around Yoko Ono in their Dakota apartment. The image, a nude Lennon in fetal embrace around a fully clothed Ono, ran on the cover of Rolling Stone following his death and has since become one of the most iconic photographs of the twentieth century. Leibovitz was the last professional photographer to photograph Lennon alive.

Museum Recognition & Institutional Legacy

In 1991, Leibovitz became the first woman to stage a solo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The show, drawn from two decades of portraiture work, established her within a tradition of formal portraiture that extended well beyond magazine photography. The accompanying monograph, Photographs: Annie Leibovitz 1970–1990, remains a key reference for collectors and researchers.

Subsequent exhibitions have included Women (1999), a collaboration with writer Susan Sontag featuring portraits of women from diverse backgrounds and professions; American Music (2003), which documented musicians across genres; and A Photographer’s Life: 1990–2005, which originated at the Brooklyn Museum before traveling internationally. That exhibition was significant for its candor; it interwove professional editorial work with deeply personal photographs documenting the final years of Susan Sontag’s life and the early childhood of Leibovitz’s daughters.

Her work is held in the permanent collections of major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In 2006, she was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. She is currently represented by Hauser & Wirth, one of the world’s leading contemporary art galleries, a relationship that situates her work firmly within the contemporary fine art market rather than solely within the world of editorial photography.

Her Most Iconic Photographs

A handful of images have come to define Leibovitz’s public identity as a photographer:

• John Lennon and Yoko Ono (1980) — Taken hours before Lennon’s assassination, this gelatin silver print is among the most reproduced photographs of the twentieth century.
• Demi Moore, Pregnant (1991) — The Vanity Fair cover that redefined how pregnancy was represented in mainstream media and generated international debate.
• Whoopi Goldberg in a Milk Bath (1984) — A conceptually daring image that remains among her most discussed early works.
• Keith Haring with Body Paint (1986) — A collaboration that merged the visual languages of two distinct artistic practices.
• Queen Elizabeth II (2007) — Commissioned portraits taken at Buckingham Palace, which generated significant press coverage and became landmarks of official royal portraiture.
• Caitlyn Jenner (2015) — The Vanity Fair cover that generated the magazine’s highest newsstand sales in decades.

These images are not simply well-known. They occupy a specific place in the broader history of photography as a medium capable of shaping public perception, reframing cultural narratives, and functioning as historical documents of their moment.

Collecting Leibovitz: What to Know

For collectors interested in acquiring work by Annie Leibovitz, understanding the structure of her market is essential. Her photographs exist in several distinct formats, and the format, print date, and edition size all have a direct bearing on value.

Print Formats & Media

Leibovitz’s photographs are produced in three primary media:

• Gelatin silver prints: The traditional photographic medium used for her black-and-white work from the Rolling Stone era and beyond. Vintage gelatin silver prints — those produced at or near the time the photograph was taken — are the most sought after by serious collectors and carry a premium over later editions.
• Chromogenic (C-print) prints: Used for her color photography, particularly the Vanity Fair and Vogue work. These are typically available in limited editions and represent the most accessible tier of her market for collectors entering at a mid-range price point.
• Digital inkjet (pigment) prints: Used for more recent work and large-format editions. These prints are often produced in very small editions and are associated with her gallery representation through Hauser & Wirth.

Edition Size & Print Date

Edition size matters significantly in Leibovitz’s market. Smaller editions command higher prices; a print issued in an edition of five will typically outperform one issued in an edition of fifty, all else being equal. Print date is equally important: vintage prints, those produced close to the time the photograph was taken, consistently achieve stronger results at auction than later reprints, even of the same image. Collector preference for vintage prints reflects the historical and material authenticity of the object rather than the image alone.

Provenance also plays a meaningful role. Prints that can be documented to private sales through Hauser & Wirth or major photography galleries, or that carry exhibition history, are generally more desirable to institutional buyers and serious private collectors.

Price Ranges at Auction

The market for Leibovitz photographs spans a wide range. At the entry level, signed prints from later editions, particularly color work from the 1990s and 2000s, have sold at auction for low thousands. Mid-tier examples, particularly vintage gelatin silver prints of iconic subjects, typically realize between $5,000 and $30,000. Major works — large-format prints, unique or near-unique vintage examples, and images with significant cultural resonance — have reached six figures at major auction houses. The John Lennon and Yoko Ono gelatin silver print from 1970 is among the most actively traded of her works, with realized prices at auction varying based on print date, size, and condition.

Collectors new to photography will find useful context in Clars’ fine art photography department, which handles a range of vintage and contemporary photographic works across price points.

Annie Leibovitz at Clars Auctions

Clars Auctions has handled Annie Leibovitz’s work at auction, including a gelatin silver print of John Lennon and Yoko Ono (1970), measuring 11″ × 7.5″ and signed, which sold for $6,300. The print originated from the same session in which Leibovitz captured Lennon for what would become the January 1971 cover of Rolling Stone, one of the pivotal early milestones of her career.

Works by Leibovitz appear at auction infrequently relative to collector demand, particularly vintage prints of her most recognized subjects. When they do come to market, they tend to attract sustained interest from collectors building collections in American photography, modern portraiture, and twentieth-century cultural history.

For Buyers

If you are building a collection in American photography or fine art portraiture, we recommend reviewing our auction calendar and live catalogs to stay informed when a Leibovitz work enters one of our sales. Our team of fine art specialists is also available to assist with research and pre-sale inquiries.

New to the auction process? Our guide for first-time bidders walks you through registration, bidding options, and what to expect on sale day. You can also explore ways to buy, including absentee and telephone bidding.

For Sellers

If you own a work by Annie Leibovitz — whether a vintage print, a signed later edition, or a large-format gallery work — Clars Auctions is well-positioned to help you understand its current market value and bring it to the right buyers. Our specialists provide professional appraisals for fair market, insurance, and estate purposes, and our established presence in fine art and photography auctions means your consignment reaches a targeted, qualified collector base.

We work with individual sellers, estate executors, fiduciaries, and institutions. To begin, you can request a complimentary valuation online, contact our team directly, or visit us at our auction house in Oakland, California.

Clars’ Fine Art department is excited to present our Fall Modern + Contemporary Art Auction on September 14th. The sale will offer an array of artworks spanning movements and decades, with notable works for all collectors.

An important highlight to be offered in this sale is an oil on canvas by French artist Henry Moret (French, 1856–1913) titled Maisons à Volendam, Hollande. Moret, while trained in the Neo-Classical and Orientalist style at the École National des Beaux-Arts, took much inspiration from Impressionist artists and painted the Western European countryside and Coastlines, incorporating vibrant tones of blue, green, and peachy orange. This work, completed in 1900, is a strong example of his bold palette choices and forceful and short brushstrokes, a style he credited much to Claude Monet. This painting will be offered at $50,000–$70,000.

Also to be featured in our Fall Modern + Contemporary Art Auction are two large-scale prints by American artist Robert Longo (American, b. 1953). Longo, who has also worked in film and sculpture, is most known for his drawings and prints in the Men in the Cities series. These images depict models in stark black and white formal attire whose contorted poses convey dancing, fighting, or other active and sometimes violent movements. Longo created these images by blowing up photographs of his friends to a larger-than-life scale and tracing his subjects to paper. These iconic artworks have appeared in film and television series including American Psycho and Inventing Anna. Clars will be offering both James and Tillman at $15,000–$20,000 each.

Yet another notable print to be offered is Andy Warhol’s (American, 1928–1987) Sitting Bull — a print originally intended for the Cowboys and Indians suite completed in 1986. The print, valued at $40,000–$60,000, displays the iconic portrait of Sitting Bull, derived from an archival photo of the Sioux Chief. Warhol of course adds a flare of dramatized color in his Pop Art style to blend the understanding of historical and modern-day imagery.

The sale will also offer numerous photographs by renowned artists such as Diane Arbus, Annie Leibovitz, and David LaChapelle. One notable work in this category is a photograph by American artist and writer Peter Beard (American, 1938–2020), most known for his images of Africa. Beard’s book The End of the Game, first published in 1965, documented the issues of starvation and poaching facing wildlife in Kenya, and brought the artist international attention. The photograph in our September sale titled Fayel Tall depicts Kenyan model Fayel Tall posing in a mudcloth-style skirt covered in geometric designs. An inscription on the left of the photograph quotes a passage from The End of the Game describing a beautiful woman. The unique photograph will be auctioned off for $20,000–$40,000.

This sale will also offer additional important works by renowned artists such as Nguyễn Tư Nghiêm, Hunt Slonem, George Morrison, and Ruth Asawa, among others.

Clars’ Summer Modern + Contemporary Art + Design Auction brought in active bidders from across the globe vying for artwork from world famous artists and design from master woodworkers.

The sale began with modern and contemporary art. A featured highlight was Wayne Thiebaud’s (American, 1920–2011) Portrait of Jean Lee Porter, 1951/52, whose provenance was strong and led to a hammer of $31,500. The subject, Jean Lee Porter, was a big band singer in San Francisco and her own notoriety certainly contributed to the interest in the piece.

Another featured highlight was March Avery’s (American, b. 1932), Resting Nude, 1989, oil on canvas. Her stark style of painting, with bold colors and simple linework, appeals to the 21st century minimalist aesthetic. This particular work depicts a female nude — a subject that is highly sought after — and sold for $28,980.

This sale also included a fine example of Alecos Fassianos’ (Greek, 1935–2022) work, Figure in Blue, 1963, oil on canvas, which sold for $20,160. The piece features a quite graphic and color-saturated palette. Several phone bidders fed the competitive bidding.

Squeak Carnwath’s (American, b. 1947), Not Fact, 1996, oil and alkyd on canvas, sold for $18,900 — achieving the 4th highest record price for the artist. Squeak Carnwath, like Thiebaud, is another Bay Area figure. She lives in Oakland and taught art at both UC Davis and UC Berkeley, so her name is notable in Northern California. Her paintings are playful and youthful, appealing to the younger audience buying contemporary art.

Jasper Johns’ (American, b. 1930), Flag (Moratorium), 1969, offset lithograph in colors, edition 97/300, sold for $17,640. This piece was made as a political and anti-war expression, and in the highly politicized climate we live in now, powerful imagery and strong statements feel pertinent and valuable to collectors.

The Design department had strong prices realized across various categories in the Summer Modern + Contemporary Art + Design Auction. Leading the show was an Arthur Espenet Carpenter dining suite, consisting of eight Wishbone dining chairs and a dining table. The chairs and table realized a combined $40,950, with numerous bidders vying for the lots. Also, a Philip and Kelvin LaVerne ‘Marriage Whirl’ table realized $12,600.

Cristina Campion, Associate Director of 20th Century Design, noted, “we’re certainly seeing strong results for American master woodworkers, including Espenet — as well as other American icons like the design duo, Philip and Kelvin LaVerne.”

The sale included master craftsmanship from across genres and cultures. A highlight was a Tony Hunt totem pole dating to 1990, measuring at a mighty 8′11″. There were several telephone bidders on the totem pole that brought the final sale price to $20,160.

Danish Modern furniture preformed quite well, with a pair of Finn Juhl NV-45 lounge chairs selling for $25,200, and a single Finn Juhl NV-45 lounge chair realizing $16,380. “There’s always a market for noteworthy and iconic Danish Design at auction,” commented Ms. Campion.

Clars’ next auctions will be held on July 14th & 15th. Consignments are always invited. Schedule a private or virtual valuation appointment by emailing [email protected].

Born in Magdeburg, Germany in 1881, Gustave Baumann was a renowned American artist who achieved notoriety for his exquisite woodcuts and prints.

He immigrated to the United States and settled in the artistic community of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Baumann was known for his exquisite craftsmanship, intricate details, and captivating compositions. His woodcuts and prints showcase an appreciation for nature, displaying vibrant colors and capturing the essence of landscapes and cultural scenes.

Filled with beautiful blooming landscapes in brightly colored skies, his work illuminated the beauty and grandeur of the American Southwest. Baumann’s meticulous technique — combined with his ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia and tranquility — makes his art highly desirable for collectors seeking timeless beauty.

Wayne Thiebaud was an American painter known for his depictions of everyday objects and scenes. While he is primarily associated with Pop Art, still lifes, and landscapes, on rare occasion he would work in portraiture.

Clars offered Thiebaud’s Portrait of Jean Lee Porter, an oil painting created in 1951/52, at our Summer Modern + Contemporary Art + Design Auction. This particular artwork is a rare example of portraiture in his oeuvre, commanding a total of $31,500.

The painting showcases Jean Lee Porter, a friend and model for Thiebaud. Thiebaud’s distinctive style is evident in this piece — characterized by his use of bold, vibrant colors and thick application of paint. He captures the sitter in a frontal pose against a neutral background, emphasizing her facial features and expression. Thiebaud’s attention to detail is notable in the rendering of Porter’s face, which exhibits a sense of realism and three-dimensionality. The painting showcases Thiebaud’s early exploration of form, light, and color. As his focus shifted towards other subjects, his output of portraits became less frequent, making these early works relatively scarce.

Thiebaud had a special ability of infusing everyday subjects and settings with vitality and personality, showcasing his skill as a painter. His unique approach to capturing the essence of his subjects through rich brushwork and intense hues makes Thiebaud’s work so exciting for artists and collectors to this day.

Rafael Coronel is considered to be one of the greatest artists of the new expressionism movement in Mexican art.

Coronel was born on July 24, 1931, into a family of artists in Zacatecas, Mexico. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado “La Esmeralda” (National School of Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking) in Mexico City and Europe.

Coronel’s art often depicted human figures, landscapes, and still life compositions. He employed a distinctive style characterized by vibrant colors, meticulous details, and a touch of surrealism. His paintings showcased a deep understanding of Mexican culture and history — reflecting indigenous influences and the country’s social issues.

Gudelia emphasizes Coronel’s interest in portraiture, which was inspired by everyday people encountered on the streets of Mexico City. He depicted the human existential angst in the figure’s spectral, menacing face, with a downturned mouth and harrowing facial features set against a chiaroscuro background.

Coronel’s contributions to the art world and his dedication to preserving Mexican cultural heritage continue to inspire artists and art enthusiasts to this day.

From the wall frescoes of ancient Rome to the trompe-l’oeil ceiling murals of Renaissance Europe, optical illusions have been a popular trend in visual art for ages.

Artists like Victor Vasarely and M.C. Escher revamped the way artists fool the eye in the 20th century. Perhaps inspired by the revitalized interest in optics, Jasper Johns created an image that toys with our perception of color.

In the work, titled Flag (Moratorium), Johns presents the United States flag with pink, green, and black, replacing the traditional stars and stripes palette. The viewer is invited to stare at the small white dot in the center of the flag for 30 seconds, then avert their gaze to a white wall where they will see the same flag in its original red, white, and blue. This phenomenon, known as a negative afterimage, is caused by stimulation of the cells that carry signals between the eyes and the brain. Johns’ artwork is often layered — whether literally with material or metaphorically with meaning — and Flag (Moratorium) takes this layering a step further, with a covert optical illusion hiding just beneath the surface.

Johns’ flag prints are among his most well-known and iconic works. He first began exploring the American flag as a subject in the mid-1950s and the flag became a recurring motif in his art, representing various themes and concepts. The flag prints emerged during a time when abstract expressionism dominated the art scene. Johns’ use of familiar imagery, like the flag, challenged the prevailing ideas of what art could be. By appropriating this national symbol, Johns questioned the boundaries between art and everyday objects, inviting viewers to reconsider their own perceptions and interpretations.

The flag prints were created through various printmaking techniques, such as lithography, screen printing, and etching, allowing Johns to experiment with different textures and color variations. Today, Johns’ flag prints are highly regarded and can be found in significant museum collections worldwide. They continue to be celebrated as essential contributions to contemporary art history.

“I knew I would be a painter. It never occurred to me that I would do anything else,” March Avery.

Born into a family of artists — her father being Milton Avery and mother Sally Michel — March Avery cultivated a style that was distinctly her own. Growing up, she was surrounded by artists who were friends of her parents. She began creating by the age of two through painting, drawing and sculpting. She developed a style of her own that celebrates brilliant color and abstract forms.

Working across multiple mediums, David Hockney is known for his painting, drawing, prints, photography, collage, set design and digital media.

Hockney was born on July 9, 1937 in Bradford, United Kingdom, and studied at Bradford School of Art and London’s Royal College of Art. In 1964, Hockney moved to California. Drawing inspiration from the region’s light, color, and landscape, his swimming pool paintings garnered him international recognition.

During the 1980’s, Hockney began creating intricate photo collages that he called “joiners.” His early photo-collages consisted of polaroid photographs in a grid. He evolved his style to photo lab processed 35mm photographs, creating abstract representations of the scenes he had photographed in a more organic layout. Photos were taken over a number of minutes, highlighting Hockney’s interest in showing the passing of time, and often show slightly different perspectives of the subject. Deeply inspired by artists such as Pablo Picasso and Greorge Braque, Hockney’s photographic collages are a historical nod to the cubist collages that inspired him. He remains one of the greatest living artists of his generation.

This June 15th at Clars Auction Gallery, we are excited to offer a number of excellent pieces by esteemed artists throughout the Modern and Contemporary periods.

First featured is a photo-collage by influential English artist, David Hockney. Titled Gregory Watching the Snowfall, Kyoto, February 21st, 1983, the arrangement of violet-toned photographs depicts Hockney’s partner, assistant, and frequent model, Gregory Evans, lying in bed and looking out the window of a Japanese washitsu at the garden outside.

Another highlight in the June sale is an oil on board painting by French Fauve artist, Louis Valtat. The work, titled Fraises, depicts a cluster of bright red strawberries on a deep green lettuce leaf. Valtat’s technique blends the color-forward elements of Fauvism with the expressive brushwork of Impressionism to create a sense of movement in a traditional still-life composition.

Lastly, we are presenting a signed multiple by American Neo-Dadaist, Jasper Johns. Titled Flag (Moratorium), the print is a rendering of perhaps Johns’ most well-known subject: the American flag. This work was made to commemorate the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations that took place in 1969. The symbolic use of orange and camouflage-green tones, along with a white “bullet hole” in the center of the image, is meant to highlight the violence that occurred throughout the controversial war.

This sale will also offer additional important works by renowned artists such as Rafael Coronel, Brett Weston, Milton Reskin, Wayne Thiebaud, and Hunt Slonem.