Ira Stehmann Fine Art

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Ira Stehmann Fine Art

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The focus of her work lies on photography. Her strength lies in conceptual work and the selection, evaluation and documentation of artworks.

For more than 25 years Ira Stehmann has been an adviser and mediator for contemporary art, liaising with both private and institutional collectors and individual customers. In the course of her career she has traced, evaluated, acquired, archived and documented thousands of photographs as well as arranging the resale of works. As a freelance exhibition curator and experienced specialist in the art market Ira Stehmann advises private collectors, museums and companies. She has been working in this capacity, for example for the Nicola Erni Collection, since the beginning of the new millennium. She has built up a private library of several hundred art books, with a particular emphasis on publications in the field of photography. Ira Stehmann has edited and co-edited numerous works on contemporary photography that have been brought out by renowned art publishers. Ira Stehmann has excellent contacts to museums, private collectors and artists’ estates in New York, London and Paris and has been managing the estate of Jeanloup Sieff in Paris since the early 2000s. In addition, she has been the sole representative for the works of the well-known photographer Chistopher Thomas since 2007. She has been an adviser and provided exhibition concepts for companies such as Credit Suisse (Germany) AG, Frankfurt/Munich, Allianz AG, Munich, Hypo Vereinsbank, Munich, Paul Hartmann AG, Heidenheim, The Nicola Erni Collection, Argos Beteiligungsverwaltung GmbH, Munich, KBB Verwaltungs-GmbH, Böblingen, Richter & Partner, Munich/Frankfurt/Stuttgart, Get Mobile AG, Munich, Boston Consulting Group, Hamburg/Munich, and Truffle Bay Management Consulting, Munich, among many others. Ira Stehmann studied at a number of different European institutions: Art History in London and Munich, Business Management at the European Business School (EBS) in Oestrich-Winkel, London and Paris, as well as semesters studying in Florence and Parma. After working at an auctioneers, she became freelance in 1993. Between 2001 and 2010 Ira Stehmann was a partner at curators GmbH in Munich.

27/10/2026

Attitude cannot be staged. Or can it?
A glance through a veil. A cigarette between two fingers. Smokey eyes looking straight into the camera or deliberately away from it.
Across generations, fashion and portrait photographers have explored that elusive quality we call attitude. Sometimes carefully constructed, sometimes seemingly spontaneous, these images reveal how differently confidence, sensuality and self-possession can be expressed in front of the camera.

There is Linda Evangelista, seen through the very different eyes of Peter Lindbergh and Steven Meisel. Claudia Schiffer, Tatjana Patitz and Penélope Cruz, photographed by Ellen von Unwerth. And Kate, photographed by Neeltje de Vries in 2024 – bringing a contemporary perspective to a selection spanning more than three decades.

The photographs could hardly be more different. Some are seductive, some playful, some defiant, others completely self-contained. Each photographer creates a distinct relationship between subject and camera and with it, a different idea of femininity, presence and attitude.

Perhaps that is precisely what makes these images so compelling: there is no single formula for presence.

Sorry, but so cool…

ELLEN VON UNWERTH – The Look, Claudia Schiffer, 1990
STEVEN MEISEL – Linda Evangelista, 1990
PETER LINDBERGH – Linda Evangelista, for Stern magazine, 1990
ELLEN VON UNWERTH – Tatjana, Paris, 1992
NEELTJE DE VRIES – Kate, 2024
ELLEN VON UNWERTH – Penelope Cruz, Paris, 2003

20/10/2026

Sorry, but so cool…
What makes a photograph cool?
Perhaps it is a certain look, an effortless gesture, an attitude or a cigarette held almost absentmindedly.

For decades, the cigarette was an almost ubiquitous presence in fashion and portrait photography. More than a prop, it became part of a visual language — suggesting elegance, rebellion, independence, seduction or simply attitude.
Seen today, these photographs also tell us something about the culture in which they were created. What once appeared naturally within the visual vocabulary of fashion, cinema and celebrity belongs to a cultural moment that has changed considerably. In this sense, the images are not only compelling photographs, but documents of their time.

From Franco Rubartelli’s Veruschka and Peter Lindbergh’s Tatjana Patitz to works by William Klein, Ellen von Unwerth, Steven Meisel and Ron Galella, the photographs in this selection span several decades and very different photographic approaches.

Fashion meets portraiture, carefully constructed images meet fleeting encounters, icons of photography meet icons in front of the camera. What connects them is not simply the cigarette itself, but the attitude it was once used to convey.
Smokey eyes. Loose smoke. Full attitude.

Sorry, but so cool…

FRANCO RUBARTELLI – Veruschka, Smoke in your eyes, 1968
STEVEN MEISEL – Through the window, Linda Evangelista, 1991
PETER LINDBERGH – Tatjana Patitz, Café de Flore, 1995
ELLEN VON UNWERTH – Two Icons, Linda and Christy, Cannes, 1990
RON GALELLA – Paul Newman at the premiere Party of "Cool Hand Luke" at the Americana Hotel in New York City, 1967
WILLIAM KLEIN – Smoke + Veil, Paris, VOGUE, 1958

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18/10/2026

And that’s a wrap – Munich HIGHLIGHTS 2026!

Six wonderful days filled with inspiring encounters, engaging conversations and a shared passion for photography and art.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who visited us at the Residenz München, to our wonderful artists and collectors, and to the entire HIGHLIGHTS team for making this year’s edition so special.
We leave the Munich Residenz a little tired, very happy, and already looking forward to the next encounters.

With love from Ira & Elke – see you soon! 🤍

15/10/2026

The doors are open – welcome to Munich HIGHLIGHTS 2026!
After weeks of preparation, it is wonderful to finally see this year’s presentation come together within the historic surroundings of the Munich Residenz.
At Booth 31, Ira Stehmann Fine Art brings together some very exiting distinctive photographic positions: Albarrán Cabrera, Steffen Diemer, Corina Gertz, Miho Kajioka, Marcus Schaefer, Christopher Thomas, Miriam Tölke and Neeltje de Vries.

Seen together, their works reveal very different ways of approaching the photographic image. From memory, identity and the human body to materiality, abstraction and our perception of reality, each artist opens a different perspective – and creates conversations that only truly emerge when the works meet in the same space.

And that is perhaps what we enjoy most about an art fair: seeing familiar works anew, exploring connections between them, and, above all, having the opportunity to experience art together.

We look forward to the conversations, encounters and discoveries of the coming days and would be delighted to welcome you at Booth 31.
Come and see us in Munich! ❤️

Munich HIGHLIGHTS
📍 Munich Residenz
🗓 15–18 October 2026
🎟️ via Munich HIGHLIGHTS
Booth No. 31

06/10/2026

A glimpse of what awaits you at Munich HIGHLIGHTS.
Tall palm trees reach into an amber-coloured sky, their silhouettes extending beyond the frame. Seen from below, a familiar landscape becomes strangely elusive – less the representation of a particular place than the recollection of one.

The Mouth of Krishna #1060 (2026) by is one of the works we will be presenting at this year’s Munich HIGHLIGHTS.
For Anna Cabrera and Angel Albarrán, photography is deeply connected to memory and perception. Their images deliberately leave space for the viewer: what we recognise within them is inevitably shaped by places we have known, experiences we have had and images we carry within ourselves.
But experiencing an Albarrán Cabrera work in person also means encountering photography as a physical object. For this work, pigments are applied to delicate Japanese gampi paper mounted over gold leaf. As light interacts with the surface, colour, texture and luminosity subtly shift – adding another dimension that cannot quite be conveyed on a screen.

Part of their ongoing series The Mouth of Krishna, the work occupies that fascinating territory between reality and imagination that has long been central to the duo’s practice.

We look forward to sharing this work – alongside many more – with you in Munich.

ALBARRÁN CABRERA
The Mouth of Krishna #1060, 2026
Pigment print on gampi paper over gold leaf
25 x 17 cm
Edition of 20 + 2 APs
Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on verso

Munich HIGHLIGHTS
📍 Munich Residenz
🗓 15–18 October 2026
🎟️ via Munich HIGHLIGHTS
Booth No. 31

04/10/2026

A wonderful evening in Paris celebrating one of the great masters of photography.
During my recent days in Paris, one of the highlights was the opening of PENN & FASHION at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie – a beautifully curated exhibition dedicated to Irving Penn and his extraordinary contribution to fashion photography.

Spanning more than six decades, from 1947 to 2008, the exhibition unfolds chronologically, tracing the evolution of Penn’s unmistakable visual language: from the legendary Paris haute couture photographs of the 1950s to his later work for Vogue and his remarkable creative dialogue with Issey Miyake. Seeing these works together reveals how consistently Penn reduced an image to its essentials: silhouette, volume, texture and gesture. Fashion changed dramatically over the decades, yet the precision and elegant simplicity of his compositions remain astonishingly timeless.

I was especially delighted to see the important contribution of the Nicola Erni Collection, which has loaned 72 works to the exhibition, alongside exceptional loans from the Irving Penn Foundation and the Miyake Issey Foundation.

And it was a particular pleasure to share this special evening with Mia Fonssagrives-Solow, Tom Penn, President of the Irving Penn Foundation, and Stefan Puttaert, CEO of the Nicola Erni Collection.

Congratulations to Pascal Hoël and Frédérique Dolivet on this thoughtfully considered exhibition.

If you are in Paris in the coming months, this is one not to miss!

PENN & FASHION
📍 Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris
📅 30 September 2026 until 17 January 2027

Stay inspired – subscribe to our newsletter for selected works, exhibitions and news from Ira Stehmann Fine Art. 💌

29/09/2026

Distinct voices in photography come together in a carefully curated presentation at Munich HIGHLIGHTS.

This October, Ira Stehmann Fine Art returns to Munich HIGHLIGHTS, presenting works by , Steffen Diemer, Corina Gertz, Miho Kajioka, Marcus Schaefer Atelier, Christopher Thomas, Miriam Tölke and Neeltje de Vries.

Spanning generations, geographies and artistic approaches, these eight positions reflect the breadth of contemporary photography. Their works engage with questions of memory and identity, the human body, perception and materiality, each offering a distinct perspective on photography and its possibilities.

What unites these artists is not a single aesthetic language, but an understanding of photography that goes beyond the mere recording of what lies before the camera. Their works explore how we see, remember and experience the world – translating these experiences into images that resonate beyond the moment.

Over the coming weeks, we will share selected works and stories from this year’s presentation. But most of all, we look forward to bringing these distinctive artistic voices together and to welcoming you in person at the magnificent Munich Residenz. ❤️

NEELTJE DE VRIES – Sirocco, 2025
CHRISTOPHER THOMAS – Eternity 04, Barcelona, Spain, 2011
MARCUS SCHAEFER – Zeitgleich Verschoben, 2021
ALBARRÁN CABRERA – The Mouth of Krishna #60273, 2016
MIRIAM TÖLKE – Zenith, 2026
STEFFEN DIEMER – Magnolie, WVZ 1330, 2025
MIHO KAJIOKA – #0044, 2026
CORINA GERTZ – DE 26, 2021

Munich HIGHLIGHTS
📍 Munich Residenz
🗓 15–18 October 2026
🎟️ via Munich HIGHLIGHTS
Booth No. 31

22/09/2026

Four women, matching men’s suits, and almost nothing to distract from the people themselves: Created by Peter Lindbergh Foundation for Vogue Italia at Pin Up Studios in Paris in 1989, this rare group portrait brings together Ulli Steinmeier, Lynne Koester, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista at a defining moment in fashion photography.

The matching suits establish a shared visual language, but rather than making the women appear uniform, they seem to sharpen our awareness of their differences. Each posture, expression and gaze becomes more pronounced. There are no elaborate props and little theatrical staging. Lindbergh reduces the image to what interested him most: presence and personality.

Created at the height of the emerging supermodel era, the photograph encapsulates something essential about his approach. Even when photographing some of the most recognisable faces in fashion, Lindbergh resisted turning women into polished ideals. Character remained at the centre of the image. Perhaps that is why his photographs have travelled so effortlessly beyond the pages for which they were originally created: fashion may locate them in a particular moment, but the women themselves give them permanence.

PETER LINDBERGH
Ulli Steinmeier, Lynne Koester, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, for VOGUE Italia, Pin up Studios, Paris, 1989
Gelatin silver print
50 x 60 cm
60 x 90 cm
Combined total edition of 25 for both formats
120 x 159,4 cm – Edition of 3 + 1 AP
Signed, titled, dated, and numbered on certificate

Please DM for more details and price info 💌

15/09/2026

There is something almost monumental about this Peter Lindbergh image from 1988: Three women dressed in COMME des GARÇONS stand amid the vast machinery of an industrial power station in Nancy. The scale could easily overwhelm them and yet it does precisely the opposite. Poised within the enormous architecture, they project an extraordinary sense of independence and self-possession.

The photograph also speaks to Peter Lindbergh Foundation’s long-standing collaboration with Rei Kawakubo, which began in 1980 when she invited him to photograph a Comme des Garçons campaign and gave him complete creative freedom. At the time, Lindbergh was deeply fascinated by factories and industrial environments, which reminded him of the stark landscapes of his postwar childhood in Germany. Here, that personal visual memory meets Kawakubo’s radical approach to fashion.

The three figures appear almost like guardians of a disappearing industrial world. Their quiet strength anticipates the image of women Lindbergh would develop throughout the following decade: confident, individual and never reduced to what they are wearing.

PETER LINDBERGH
Michaela Berko, Linda Evangelista, Kristen Owen, Comme des Garçons, Nancy, France, 1988
Gelatin silver print
50.3 x 60.5 cm
Combined edition of 25 across all formats, including the 60 x 90 cm size
Signed, titled, dated, and numbered

Please DM for more details and price info 💌

08/09/2026

Peter Lindbergh changed fashion photography not by adding more, but by stripping much of it away.

This 1987 photograph of Lynne Koester, Marie-Sophie Wilson and Tatjana Patitz for Comme des Garçons already carries many of the qualities that would come to define his work. Against the open landscape of Le Touquet, the three women appear in simple white shirts and dark trousers, their individual expressions and presence taking precedence over elaborate styling or staging.

For Peter Lindbergh Foundation , fashion was never simply about the clothes. Favouring natural poses, minimal makeup and his unmistakable black-and-white language, he challenged the idealised perfection that had long shaped representations of women in fashion photography. What interested him instead was personality — strength, individuality and the person in front of his camera.

It was an approach that would prove enormously influential and contribute to the visual language of the emerging supermodel era. Looking at this photograph almost four decades later, its sense of modernity remains remarkably intact.

PETER LINDBERGH
Lynne Koester, Marie-Sophie Wilson, Tatjana Patitz, Fashion: Comme des Garçons, Le Touquet, France, 1987
Gelatin silver print
60.5 x 50.5 cm
Combined edition of 25 across all formats, including the 90 × 60 cm size
Signed, titled, dated, and numbered

Please DM for more details and price info 💌

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