Vallots Auctioneers
Live Auction

MALE NUDES + HOMOEROTIC ART

Thu, Oct 31, 2024 12:00PM EDT
Lot 68

Thomas Holdorf (American, 1955-1994)

Estimate: $300 - $500

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,500 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
Two silver gelatin prints. Signed on verso. 5 x 7"

Holdorf's multifaceted photographic work spanned the worlds of fine art and the commercial; the pieces in this catalog recall the playful yet strictly composed Manhattan studio work of George Platt Lynes with a younger sensibility and clear inspirations from Robert Mapplethorpe. Much of Holdorf’s other fine art and commercial work frequently made use of sepia tones, as well as the use of multiple exposures, creating surreal compositions in the manner of Jerry Uelsmann or Edmund Teske. He is perhaps best known for a series of collectible hardback book cover designs for a series of Stephen King’s best-known novels, which have a rich Southern Gothic quality depicting multiple-exposed images of faces surreally overlaid on worn houses. In both his studio and commercial work, his remarkable handling of tone, lighting, and atmosphere lend his pieces a rich, romantic quality. Holdorf’s career was ultimately cut short as he died of complications due to AIDS in 1994, leaving behind only a sparse collection of attributable pieces today.