Nasa’s photographic treasure - The Martin-Malburet Collection at Bonhams Paris

2025-02-27

FOR ALL MANKIND

Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr presents For All Mankind: The Artistic Legacy of Early Space Exploration, an exceptional auction featuring 450 vintage NASA photographs from the prestigious collection of Victor Martin-Malburet. This space historian has rediscovered numerous previously unseen images captured by astronauts in space and on the Moon. Internationally acclaimed, his collection has been showcased in major museum exhibitions. Alongside images that have become pop culture icons, the auction unveils forgotten treasures - breathtaking photographs that stand as masterpieces of humanity’s artistic heritage. With estimates starting at €300, this landmark sale, held online from April 14 to April 28, 2025, in Paris, offers a rare opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts alike to acquire a fragment of eternity.

For All Mankind offers a comprehensive panorama of the Golden Age of Space Exploration. Among the standout lots are the first photographs taken in space and on the surface of another world, the first extravehicular activities in space and on the Moon, the footprint on the lunar surface, the far side of the Moon, as well as the iconic Earthrise and Blue Marble, and many more incredible images.

Victor Martin-Malburet developed a passion for the visual legacy of the Giant Leap for Mankind at the age of 15, when he attended an auction dedicated to space exploration with his father, a contemporary art collector.

"I was awestruck by the famous photograph of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, with the Lunar Module reflected in his visor," recalls Victor Martin-Malburet. "What could be more disruptive than the moment when humans left their planet for the first time and set foot on another world? At a time when photography was still analog, the prints produced by NASA were the treasures brought back from the unknown by the astronauts—for all mankind."

A Man on the Moon: portrait of Buzz Aldrin with the photographer, LM Eagle and Earth reflected in his gold-plated sun visor (Estimate: €5,000 - €7,000). This remarkable composition by Neil Armstrong encapsulates the spirit of the Apollo 11 mission in a single frame.

Sabine Cornette de Saint Cyr - head of the sale

"In 2012, Bonhams organized a landmark auction in New York dedicated to terrestrial and robotic space imagery, while Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr, as early as 1980, introduced photography into auctions in Paris, establishing it as a major art form. The Apollo astronauts captured humanity’s greatest dream through their cameras. Their photographs will forever symbolize the beginning of our expansion into the universe. Today, space exploration is once again a burning topic. It was only natural for Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr to present these undisputed masterpieces of the 20th century to collectors, as they continue to fascinate and enrich our imagination."

The auction pays tribute to Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who passed away in 2024. His unforgettable photographs of the first Earthrise ever witnessed by humanity profoundly transformed our perception of ourselves and our place in the universe. The three images he captured - including two that remained unpublished for a long time - are offered in the sale.

NASA’S FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECES

As the astronauts ventured beyond Earth, each of their images was a first, pushing the limits of what was possible. In Houston, NASA operated the world’s most advanced photo laboratory and, in close collaboration with Hasselblad, Zeiss (cameras and lenses), and Kodak (films and papers), produced photographs of unprecedented aesthetic and symbolic significance. Primarily intended for the agency’s scientists to prepare future missions, a selection of images was unveiled to the public, sparking awe and a global awakening. Beyond these photographs now etched in our collective memory, the auction features some of the most historic photographs ever taken, yet at the time, they were not published by NASA. For over 25 years, Victor Martin-Malburet has sought out these extraordinarily rare treasures, buried in scientific archives and the collections of former NASA engineers.

Even the now-iconic first selfie in space (Estimate: €8,000 - €10,000)—a defining image in the history of exploration— was at risk of being forgotten. Originally, NASA described the Gemini 12 photo in a rather mundane way: “Astronaut Aldrin is photographed with the spacecraft hatch open.” Much later, Buzz Aldrin himself reclaimed the image, captioning it: “THE BEST SELFIE EVER.” Thanks to his meticulous research in NASA’s archives and mission transcripts, Victor Martin-Malburet has restored the original context of these images and credited the astronauts for their own photographs—a recognition that NASA did not systematically grant them. In doing so, he was the first to bring to light images of major historical significance.

The Martin-Malburet collection has been exhibited in leading museums worldwide, including the Grand Palais and Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Kunsthaus in Zürich, and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark. As Philippe Malgouyres, curator at the Louvre, notes in the Grand Palais Lune Catalogue, “This collection is unparalleled.”