Richard Avedon images set for auction

Richard Avedon's Beatles portfolio, a group of four psychedelic color pictures of each of the Fab Four made at the height of their fame in the late 1960s, is among the highlights of a planned auction of the famed photographer's work. Avedon created nine editions of the portfolio, one of which set an auction record for the artist at a 2005 Christie's sale, bringing $464,000. From top left are John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Famous people coveted having their portraits taken by the photographer, whose signature style was known simply as "The Avedon Look" -- unsparing, often unsmiling shots of his subjects against a minimalist background. This small vintage print of a pensive-looking Marilyn Monroe in a sequined dress, taken on May 6, 1957, is predicted ito sell for $100,000 to $150,000.

One of Avedon's most defining photographs is of a willowy model adorned in a Dior evening gown, a silk sash cascading down her slender leg, striking a dramatic pose against a row of circus elephants. The image -- "Dovima with elephants" -- was shot in 1955 at the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris and an exhibition-size print is estimated by Christie's to sell for $500,000 to $700,000.

Avedon's career spanned 60 years his influence in the fashion world was immense and helped pave the era of the supermodel through his work with Jean Shrimpton, Veruschka and Twiggy -- shown here in January 1968.

A self-portrait of the artist, circa 1963, will be among the more than 60 photographs offered at auction in Paris this fall. "Richard Avedon is by any standards a towering figure in the story of photography," said Philippe Garner, Christie's head of 20th-century decorative arts and photographs. "His work has power, authority and intensity, very distinctive signature."