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LENI RIEFENSTAHL (German, b. 1902) STABHOCHSPRUNG, OLYMPIADE "L.R. STUDIO" and copyright stamps on v

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
LENI RIEFENSTAHL (German, b. 1902) STABHOCHSPRUNG, OLYMPIADE  L.R. STUDIO  and copyright stamps on v
LENI RIEFENSTAHL (German, b. 1902) STABHOCHSPRUNG, OLYMPIADE "L.R. STUDIO" and copyright stamps on verso vintage gelatin silver print 71/4 x 11 in. (18.4 x 27.8 cm) 1936 ESTIMATE: $5,000-7,000 PROVENANCE Private Collection, GERMANY LITERATURE "Olympia: Le film des Derniers Jeux Olympiques," L'ILLUSTRATION, no. 4968, May 21, 1938, n.p. (illustrated) Angelika Taschen, ed., LENI RIEFENSTAHL: FIVE LIVES, Cologne, 2000, pl. 101 (illustrated) Despite the controversy that surrounds Leni Riefenstahl, the brilliance of her films Triumph of the Will and Olympia and her photographic images of the 1936 Olympic Games are legendary, and demonstrate a true technical mastery of documentary photography, specifically of sports. Both of her images offered in this sale (please refer to Lot 138) convey her instinctual ability to capture, from all angles and positions, athletes achieving incredible physical feats. Depicting a range of athletes from countries all over the world, this particular image is of the high-jumper, David Albritton, of the United States, soaring through the air. A series of photographs was made at different moments of Albritton's efforts, as well as those of other athletes from the United States and Japan. Questions regarding the purpose of these images-whether they were propagandistic, supporting and encouraging National Socialism, or were simply formal documentation-remain to this day. As recorded in a recent edition of The NEW YORK TIMES (January 8, 2002, p. E1), Riefenstahl defends herself by claiming her complete political nanvetT and asserting her ignorance of Nazi ideology at the time of this commission. Although Riefenstahl's politics remain in question, the beauty and excellence of her film and still photography will be forever celebrated. Please refer to Lot 138 for another example of this artist's work.