Frederick Sommer

(American/Italian, 1905–1999)

Frederick Sommer was an Italian-born American artist best known for his unique photography. His experiments with double exposures and striking portrait Livia (1948), are among his most acclaimed works. “When you go out to make a picture you find you are moved by something which is in agreement with an image you already held within yourself,” he once said. Born on September 7, 1905 in Angri, Italy, he raised by German-speaking parents in Brazil. Sommer went on to receive an MA in landscape architecture from Cornell University, and after being diagnosed with tuberculosis moved with his wife to Arizona in 1931. During the next decade, Sommer met Max Ernst, Man Ray, and Dorothea Tanning in Los Angeles, their conversations spurred Sommer’s interest in experimenting with photographic processes. The artist was also friends with more traditional photographers including Edward Weston and Ansel Adams. From 1957 to 1958, Sommer taught photography at the Institute of Design in Chicago, substituting for his friend Harry Callahan. Notably, during his career the artist produced drawings of musical scores and despite not being able to read music himself, his composer friends were able to play from his drawings. Sommer died on April 10, 1999 in Prescott, AZ. Today, his works are held in the collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, among others.

Frederick Sommer Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Frederick Sommer (365 results)
Anatomy of an Atlas, 1985–1985

Frederick Sommer

Anatomy of an Atlas, 1985–1985

Sale Date: April 27, 2004

Auction Closed

Collage, 1992–1992

Frederick Sommer

Collage, 1992–1992

Sale Date: April 27, 2004

Auction Closed

Selected images, 1939–1939

Frederick Sommer

Selected images, 1939–1939

Sale Date: April 27, 2004

Auction Closed

Circumnavigation of the blood, 1950–1950

Frederick Sommer

Circumnavigation of the blood, 1950–1950

Sale Date: April 24, 2004

Auction Closed

Pottery collage, 1992–1992

Frederick Sommer

Pottery collage, 1992–1992

Sale Date: February 17, 2004

Auction Closed

Moon culmination, 1951–1951

Frederick Sommer

Moon culmination, 1951–1951

Sale Date: October 20, 2003

Auction Closed

Circumnavigation of the blood, 1950–1950

Frederick Sommer

Circumnavigation of the blood, 1950–1950

Sale Date: October 20, 2003

Auction Closed

Moon culmination, 1951–1951

Frederick Sommer

Moon culmination, 1951–1951

Sale Date: February 12, 2003

Auction Closed

Venus, Jupiter and Mars, 1949–1949

Frederick Sommer

Venus, Jupiter and Mars, 1949–1949

Sale Date: October 22, 2002

Auction Closed

Circumnavigation of the blood, 1950–1950

Frederick Sommer

Circumnavigation of the blood, 1950–1950

Sale Date: October 22, 2002

Auction Closed

Cut paper abstraction, 1978–1978

Frederick Sommer

Cut paper abstraction, 1978–1978

Sale Date: April 18, 2002

Auction Closed

Valise d'Adam, 1949–1949

Frederick Sommer

Valise d'Adam, 1949–1949

Sale Date: April 18, 2002

Auction Closed

Medallion, 1948–1948

Frederick Sommer

Medallion, 1948–1948

Sale Date: April 18, 2002

Auction Closed

Colorado River landscape, 1940–1940

Frederick Sommer

Colorado River landscape, 1940–1940

Sale Date: April 18, 2002

Auction Closed

Pottery collage, 1992–1992

Frederick Sommer

Pottery collage, 1992–1992

Sale Date: April 18, 2002

Auction Closed

Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and..., 1966–1966

Frederick Sommer

Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and..., 1966–1966

Sale Date: April 18, 2002

Auction Closed

Arizona desert, 1943–1943

Frederick Sommer

Arizona desert, 1943–1943

Sale Date: November 13, 2001

Auction Closed

Moon culmination, 1951–1951

Frederick Sommer

Moon culmination, 1951–1951

Sale Date: October 4, 2001

Auction Closed

Aurelia, 1950–1950

Frederick Sommer

Aurelia, 1950–1950

Sale Date: October 4, 2001

Auction Closed

Arizona landscape, 1943–1943

Frederick Sommer

Arizona landscape, 1943–1943

Sale Date: October 4, 2001

Auction Closed

Valise d'Adam, 1949–1949

Frederick Sommer

Valise d'Adam, 1949–1949

Sale Date: October 3, 2001

Auction Closed

Untitled (Rock wall), 1947–1947

Frederick Sommer

Untitled (Rock wall), 1947–1947

Sale Date: October 3, 2001

Auction Closed

The birth of Venus, 1991–1993

Frederick Sommer

The birth of Venus, 1991–1993

Sale Date: October 2, 2001

Auction Closed

All children are ambassadors, 1950–1950

Frederick Sommer

All children are ambassadors, 1950–1950

Sale Date: April 25, 2001

Auction Closed

English (US)

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