William Burroughs Portrait Up for Auction

One of the last photographic portraits taken of William Burroughs is now up for auction. Photographer Annie Leibovitz shot the image of Burroughs at his home in Lawrence, Kansas. The image itself shows more of Leibovitz' Avedon and photojournalistic influence than her usual celebrity-advertisement style.

Initial bids start at $3,500.
https://www.artnet.com/AUCTIONS/Pages/Lots/23191.aspx





Artist: Leibovitz Annie
Bio: View biography on artnet Title: William S. Burroughs
Style: Contemporary (ca. 1945-present)
Period: 1990s
Medium: Photographs, Silver print, gelatin silver print
Year: 1995
Print/Casting Year: 1995
Size: height - 16 in, width - 20 in, depth - 0 in
Markings: signed, inscribed, In the lower right sheet margin signed, in the lower left titled, in the center dated,inscribed and numbered.
Edition: AP 7
Estimate: from $5,000 to $6,000
Seller's Description: Annie Leibovitz, William S. Burroughs, 1995. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches, 40.64 x 50.8 cm. Edition AP 7 (regular edition of 40). Signed, inscribed, numbered.
Portrait of the writer William S. Burroughs taken at his home in Lawrence, Kansas, two years before his death.
Annie Leibovitz is perhaps the most famous living portrait photographer. Her portraits have been appearing in magazines for over 25 years. She started as a photographer for Rolling Stone magazine and works for Vanity Fair and Vogue. Her shots of celebrities, including musicians, politicians and athletes, have been celebrated worldwide. Leibovitz strives to incorporate the public persona of her subject or sitter into each of her photos. Rather than static headshots, Leibovitz often uses her subject's entire body, most often while in motion, to dispel any artificial qualities. Leibovitz has photographed for magazines as well as prestigious advertisers, such as Gap and American Express. She is one of only two living photographers to have had an exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. (1991). 'Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990–2005', an exhibition of more than 200 photographs, debuted at the Brooklyn Museum, NY, late in 2006, and is now on an international tour. The exhibition, sponsored by American Express, is organized by the Brooklyn Museum. Among the other venues it will travel to are the San Diego Museum of Art, the High Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery, the de Young Museum, Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, and London's National Portrait Gallery, with additional venues to be announced.


¬William Seward Burroughs II (February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American novelist, essayist, social critic, painter and spoken word performer. Much of Burroughs's work, including his novel Naked Lunch, is semi-autobiographical, drawn from his experiences as an opiate addict, a condition that marked the last fifty years of his life. A primary member of the Beat Generation, he was an avant-garde author who affected popular culture as well as literature. In 1975, he was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.