Collector sells off supermodel shots

One of the world's most prolific collectors of 20th Century photography, the German-born Gert Elfering, is parting with 135 iconic prints from his collection, including many photographs of the world's most beautiful women. Irving Penn's nude portraits of model Gisele Bundchen (left) and Kate Moss (right) are among those going under the hammer at Christie's New York on April 10. The collection has an estimated price tag of $3m to $4m.

Moss's photo from 1996 is expected to fetch between $30,000 to $40,000 as is Bundchen's. Other works for sale include a 1959 portrait of Brigitte Bardot, a reclining nude of American actress Lauren Hutton, and a set of four psychedelic Beatles portraits all by the celebrated fashion photographer Richard Avedon. Elfering is also selling works by Man Ray, Diane Arbus, Helmut Newton and legendary photographer Horst P Horst.

It was Horst who inspired Elfering to start collecting photography when he attended an exhibition at Hamilton's Gallery in London in the early 1980s. The 25-year-old bought a book and poster; by 1998 he had acquired the entire Horst archive. "I moved on to smaller prints, then more expensive ones, and finally the estate," says Elfering, now 49.