Frank Sinatra by Yul Brynner, estimate €6000-7000 at Leitz Photographica.
Though best remembered on stage and screen, the Russian-born actor was also a talented photographer and Leica fan. Both passions are on display in this sale, with his original prints sold alongside some very rare Leicas.
Brynner’s celebrity allowed him access to some of the factory’s most exclusive models, most of which were sold to professional photographers. With lovingly built-up patinas, original condition and perfect operational status, both the Leica MP59 and an MP60 (one of just 141 made) are individually estimated at €600,000-700,000.
A Leica MP60, €600,000-700,000 at Leitz Photographica.
A collection of prints from Brynner’s original negatives are also stars of the sale. They include a 1964 colour image of a smiling Frank Sinatra departing a helicopter with a drink in his hand (estimate at €6000-7000); Audrey Hepburn on a Venetian gondola in 1965 (€18,000-22,000); and Debora Kerr on the set of 1957’s The Journey (€2500-3000).
