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)
Untitled, 1949

Frederick Sommer

Untitled, 1949

Sale Date: October 25, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1949

Frederick Sommer

Untitled, 1949

Sale Date: October 25, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1949

Frederick Sommer

Untitled, 1949

Sale Date: October 25, 2021

Auction Closed

I Adore You, 1947

Frederick Sommer

I Adore You, 1947

Sale Date: October 25, 2021

Auction Closed

Pine Cone, 1947

Frederick Sommer

Pine Cone, 1947

Sale Date: October 25, 2021

Auction Closed

Golden Apples (Smoke on cellophane), 1961, 1961

Frederick Sommer

Golden Apples (Smoke on cellophane), 1961, 1961

Sale Date: October 6, 2021

Auction Closed

Negative #68, 1939

Frederick Sommer

Negative #68, 1939

Sale Date: October 5, 2021

Auction Closed

Negative #66, 1939

Frederick Sommer

Negative #66, 1939

Sale Date: October 5, 2021

Auction Closed

'Negative #30

Frederick Sommer

'Negative #30 "Jack Rabbit"', 1938

Sale Date: April 21, 2021

Auction Closed

Negative #70 (Chicken Parts), 1939

Frederick Sommer

Negative #70 (Chicken Parts), 1939

Sale Date: April 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Chicken Entrails #7A (Eight Young Roosters), 1938

Frederick Sommer

Chicken Entrails #7A (Eight Young Roosters), 1938

Sale Date: April 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Negative #74 (Chicken Parts), 1939

Frederick Sommer

Negative #74 (Chicken Parts), 1939

Sale Date: April 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Eight Young Roosters, 1938

Frederick Sommer

Eight Young Roosters, 1938

Sale Date: December 16, 2020

Auction Closed

ARIZONA LANDSCAPE, 1945

Frederick Sommer

ARIZONA LANDSCAPE, 1945

Sale Date: October 1, 2020

Auction Closed

LIVIA, 1948

Frederick Sommer

LIVIA, 1948

Sale Date: October 1, 2020

Auction Closed

Max Ernst, 1946

Frederick Sommer

Max Ernst, 1946

Sale Date: July 13, 2020

Auction Closed

Livia, 1948

Frederick Sommer

Livia, 1948

Sale Date: July 13, 2020

Auction Closed

Portrait, from the Birth of Venus..., 1991–1993

Frederick Sommer

Portrait, from the Birth of Venus..., 1991–1993

Sale Date: October 17, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled (a set of three works), 1959

Frederick Sommer

Untitled (a set of three works), 1959

Sale Date: September 15, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled (Smoke on Cellophane #3), 1961

Frederick Sommer

Untitled (Smoke on Cellophane #3), 1961

Sale Date: October 2, 2019

Auction Closed

UNTITLED, 1950

Frederick Sommer

UNTITLED, 1950

Sale Date: August 24, 2019

Auction Closed

Young Explorer, 1951

Frederick Sommer

Young Explorer, 1951

Sale Date: April 4, 2019

Auction Closed

Sumaré, 1951, 1951

Frederick Sommer

Sumaré, 1951, 1951

Sale Date: October 5, 2018

Auction Closed

Birth of Venus (portfolio of 5), 1991

Frederick Sommer

Birth of Venus (portfolio of 5), 1991

Sale Date: October 5, 2018

Auction Closed

English (US)

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