posted 02-27-2025 09:00 AM               

For All Mankind

NASA's Photographic Treasure: The Martin-Malburet Collection at Bonhams Paris

Sale: For All Mankind: The Victor Martin-Malburet Collection
Location: Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr Paris
Date: 14 to 28 April 2025
Exhibition dates: 18, 22 and 23 April 2025

Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr presents For All Mankind: The Artistic Legacy of Early Space Exploration, an exceptional auction featuring 450 vintage NASA photographs from the prestigious collection of Victor Martin-Malburet. This space historian has rediscovered numerous previously unseen images captured by astronauts in space and on the Moon. Internationally acclaimed, his collection has been showcased in major museum exhibitions. Alongside images that have become pop culture icons, the auction unveils forgotten treasures - breathtaking photographs that stand as masterpieces of humanity's artistic heritage. With estimates starting at €300, this landmark sale, held online from April 14 to April 28, 2025, in Paris, offers a rare opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts alike to acquire a fragment of eternity.

For All Mankind offers a comprehensive panorama of the Golden Age of Space Exploration. Among the standout lots are the first photographs taken in space and on the surface of another world, the first extravehicular activities in space and on the Moon, the footprint on the lunar surface, the far side of the Moon, as well as the iconic Earthrise and Blue Marble, and many more incredible images.

Victor Martin-Malburet developed a passion for the visual legacy of the Giant Leap for Mankind at the age of 15, when he attended an auction dedicated to space exploration with his father, a contemporary art collector.

"I was awestruck by the famous photograph of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, with the Lunar Module reflected in his visor," recalls Victor Martin-Malburet. "What could be more disruptive than the moment when humans left their planet for the first time and set foot on another world? At a time when photography was still analog, the prints produced by NASA were the treasures brought back from the unknown by the astronauts—for all mankind."

Sabine Cornette de Saint Cyr, head of the sale, states: "In 2012, Bonhams organized a landmark auction in New York dedicated to terrestrial and robotic space imagery, while Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr, as early as 1980, introduced photography into auctions in Paris, establishing it as a major art form. The Apollo astronauts captured humanity's greatest dream through their cameras. Their photographs will forever symbolize the beginning of our expansion into the universe. Today, space exploration is once again a burning topic. It was only natural for Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr to present these undisputed masterpieces of the 20th century to collectors, as they continue to fascinate and enrich our imagination."

The auction pays tribute to Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who passed away in 2024. His unforgettable photographs of the first Earthrise ever witnessed by humanity profoundly transformed our perception of ourselves and our place in the universe. The three images he captured - including two that remained unpublished for a long time - are offered in the sale.

NASA's Forgotten Masterpieces

As the astronauts ventured beyond Earth, each of their images was a first, pushing the limits of what was possible. In Houston, NASA operated the world's most advanced photo laboratory and, in close collaboration with Hasselblad, Zeiss (cameras and lenses), and Kodak (films and papers), produced photographs of unprecedented aesthetic and symbolic significance. Primarily intended for the agency's scientists to prepare future missions, a selection of images was unveiled to the public, sparking awe and a global awakening. Beyond these photographs now etched in our collective memory, the auction features some of the most historic photographs ever taken, yet at the time, they were not published by NASA. For over 25 years, Victor Martin-Malburet has sought out these extraordinarily rare treasures, buried in scientific archives and the collections of former NASA engineers.

posted 04-30-2025 10:12 AM               

To the Moon and Back: The Martin-Malburet Collection Achieves Astronomical Results at Bonhams Paris

Buzz Aldrin portrait achieves €28,160

On May 10, 1946, a V2 rocket captured from the Germans became the first U.S. rocket to reach outer space, ushering a new era for humankind. The photograph sold for €24,320 (estimate: €1,000 – 1,500) after fierce bidding. This was one of the highlights of the online auction featuring 449 vintage NASA photographs from the prestigious collection of space historian Victor Martin-Malburet, held online by Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr from 14 April to 28 April 2025 in Paris.

The otherworldly photograph by Neil Armstrong showing Buzz Aldrin on the Moon with the photographer, LM Eagle and Earth reflected in his gold-plated sun visor on Apollo 11 sold for €28,160 (Estimate: €5,000 - €7,000), top lot of the sale.

The sale entitled "For All Mankind" offered a comprehensive panorama of the artistic legacy of early space exploration and achieved a total of €416,627 with many lots exceeding their high estimate and 80% of lots sold (100% sold by value).

Victor Martin-Malburet was a pioneer in rediscovering and recontextualizing the visual legacy of humankind's Giant Leap from an early age, as he sought out the most disruptive moments in artistic creation alongside his father, a collector of contemporary art. Speaking after the sale, he remarked: "NASA's vintage post-mission prints are artistic artefacts brought back from the unknown—for all mankind. They are now entering the collections of art lovers around the world. Over 25 years, I meticulously unearthed and showcased these visual treasures in museums, which had long been overlooked despite their unparalleled cultural and aesthetic magnitude. I am thrilled that they will now inspire passion and emotion in their new homes."

Sabine Cornette de Saint Cyr, Head of Sale, added: "The Apollo astronauts captured humanity's greatest dream through their cameras. They stand among the greatest artists of the 20th century. Their photographs became pop culture icons and are in all our minds, evoking a powerful and universal emotional message that transformed our centered point of view as humans from Earth. I want to thank collectors for their bids on these masterpieces of the 20th century, as they continue to fascinate and enrich our imagination."

The auction paid tribute to Apollo 8 astronaut, William Anders, who passed away in 2024. His unforgettable first photographs of Planet Earth witnessed from space by humanity profoundly transformed our perception of ourselves and our place in the universe. The images he captured as he orbited another world for the first time in history - including two that remained unpublished for a long time - were offered in the sale and made strong prices.

The first-ever colour photograph of Earthrise captured by William Anders during Apollo 8 sold for €12,800, doubling its estimate (Estimate: €6,000 - €8,000). This iconic photograph captures what is arguably the most awe-inspiring sight ever witnessed by humanity—an image that forever changed our perception of our place in the universe, made us recognize the fragility of our planet, and fostered a sense of global consciousness. William Anders took this historic photograph of Earth rising over the Moon's far side using the Hasselblad 500EL equipped with a 250mm telephoto lens and colour magazine 14/D. The photograph was the central image on the cover of LIFE magazine's 100 photos that changed the world.

The first photograph (large format) of the whole planet earth taken by humans captured by William Anders during Apollo 8, 21–27 December 1968 is one of the most important images of space exploration and sold for €9,600 (Estimate: €5,000 - €7,000). The Apollo 8 astronauts became the first humans to see the Earth as a sphere hanging in space. William Anders captured this awe-inspiring first human-taken photograph of the whole Earth just 4 hours and 36 minutes after launch, from a distance of approximately 27,000 km (16,777 miles).

[Apollo 11] The footprint on the Moon. July 21, 1969. This masterpiece by Buzz Aldrin symbolizes human space exploration sold for €8,960. After first photographing the pristine lunar soil, untouched for billions of years, Buzz Aldrin captured this iconic image of his footprint pressed into the fine lunar dust. This photograph has become a lasting symbol of human space exploration. Like the haunting footprints left by early humans in caves during the Ice Age, Aldrin's boot print is expected to endure for thousands of years, carrying the same timeless message: "We were here."

[Gemini IV] Cover of Life: the first U.S. space walk by Ed White, James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965 sold for €7,040, more than three times its estimate. This striking photograph, unmatched in its drama and power, graced the cover of LIFE magazine on June 18, 1965, becoming one of the most iconic images in the history of photography. Ed White is truly 'walking in space' above the blue Earth over Texas, tethered to the orbiting Gemini capsule.

posted 05-03-2025 08:09 AM               

There are of course autograph collectors around the world, but the price of any Ed White signed photo is less than what those unsigned prints usually go for. Even if the signed photo is one of those vintage prints (!) - the writing brings down the value for photo collectors.