MORE than 30 pictures by the celebrated 1960s society photographer Lord Lichfield will be auctioned in Newcastle this month.
John Anderson of Anderson and Garland Auctioneers said it was the largest collection of Lord Patrick Lichfield’s work he had ever seen.
The photographs previously belonged to a private collector from Washington, Tyne and Wear, who put them up for sale along with several modern prints, including work by Damien Hirst and Australian artist Sir Sydney Nolan.
Lord Lichfield, who died in 2005, was a favourite of the Royals and chosen to photograph the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, as well as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh for the official Golden Jubilee portrait.
Former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher said on his death that he was “one of the most talented and professional of photographers”.
The collection going under the hammer on March 28 will include fashion shoots, society portraits and documentary snaps from a career spanning four decades. Mr Anderson, who made the original inspection of the works, said he was expecting “a lot of interest”.
He said: “Lichfield is regarded as one of the major British photographers at a time when Britain was leading the entire world in this field.
“He used a technique called Cibachrome, which gives very rich, glossy images, a bit like Technicolor. There aren’t the materials around to do that now, so there’s a historical interest too.
“When I first saw them all together, I thought, blimey, this is marvellous.”
A print of the cover Damien Hirst designed for a special “abolish world poverty” issue of the Independent newspaper is also being put up for auction by the same collector.
The work is signed by both Hirst and U2 frontman Bono, who was leading the campaign to eradicate poverty, and is expected to reach a three-figure sum.
The Lord Lichfield collection, which is being sold as 20 separate lots, is expected to reach between £6,000 and £10,000, according to the auctioneer.
The sale will take place at Anderson House, Westerhope, Newcastle, as part of a three-day event from March 26-28. Collectable whiskeys and radios will also be under the hammer at the quarterly Anderson and Garland auction.
