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)
ONDINE, 1950

Frederick Sommer

ONDINE, 1950

Sale Date: October 7, 2015

Auction Closed

LEE NEVIN, 1965

Frederick Sommer

LEE NEVIN, 1965

Sale Date: October 7, 2015

Auction Closed

Virgin and Child with St. Anne and Infant..., 1966

Frederick Sommer

Virgin and Child with St. Anne and Infant..., 1966

Sale Date: May 6, 2015

Auction Closed

Eight Young Roosters, 1938, 1938

Frederick Sommer

Eight Young Roosters, 1938, 1938

Sale Date: March 31, 2015

Auction Closed

Glass, 1943, 1943

Frederick Sommer

Glass, 1943, 1943

Sale Date: March 31, 2015

Auction Closed

Livia, 1948, 1948

Frederick Sommer

Livia, 1948, 1948

Sale Date: March 31, 2015

Auction Closed

Duck entrails, chicken heads, 1938

Frederick Sommer

Duck entrails, chicken heads, 1938

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Grand Canyon, 1940

Frederick Sommer

Grand Canyon, 1940

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Paracelsus, 1960

Frederick Sommer

Paracelsus, 1960

Sale Date: October 1, 2014

Auction Closed

Collage, 1996

Frederick Sommer

Collage, 1996

Sale Date: April 2, 2014

Auction Closed

Coyotes, 1945

Frederick Sommer

Coyotes, 1945

Sale Date: November 7, 2013

Auction Closed

Livia, 1948

Frederick Sommer

Livia, 1948

Sale Date: April 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Ondine, 1950

Frederick Sommer

Ondine, 1950

Sale Date: December 12, 2012

Auction Closed

Venus, Jupiter and Mars, 1949

Frederick Sommer

Venus, Jupiter and Mars, 1949

Sale Date: October 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Arizona landscape, 1945

Frederick Sommer

Arizona landscape, 1945

Sale Date: October 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (Lee Nevin), 1961

Frederick Sommer

Untitled (Lee Nevin), 1961

Sale Date: October 2, 2012

Auction Closed

Livia, 1948

Frederick Sommer

Livia, 1948

Sale Date: October 2, 2012

Auction Closed

Arizona Landscape, 1945

Frederick Sommer

Arizona Landscape, 1945

Sale Date: October 2, 2012

Auction Closed

Photographs. New York (book w/30 works,..., 1963

Frederick Sommer

Photographs. New York (book w/30 works,..., 1963

Sale Date: May 21, 2010

Auction Closed

Frederick Sommer. 1939-1962 (book w/30..., 1963

Frederick Sommer

Frederick Sommer. 1939-1962 (book w/30..., 1963

Sale Date: April 10, 2008

Auction Closed

Circumnavigation of the blood, 1950

Frederick Sommer

Circumnavigation of the blood, 1950

Sale Date: September 19, 2012

Auction Closed

Arizona landscape, 1943

Frederick Sommer

Arizona landscape, 1943

Sale Date: April 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Chicken, 1939

Frederick Sommer

Chicken, 1939

Sale Date: April 4, 2012

Auction Closed

Jackrabbit, 1939

Frederick Sommer

Jackrabbit, 1939

Sale Date: October 6, 2011

Auction Closed

English (US)

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