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FOR ALL MANKIND

THE ARTISTIC LEGACY OF EARLY SPACE EXPLORATION: Victor Martin-Malburet Collection
14 – 28 April 2025

Between 1961 and 1972, NASA astronauts, armed with the most advanced cameras of their time, became the first human beings to photograph another world. With Earth rising behind them and the Moon beneath their boots, they captured more than never-before-seen pictures: they created a new visual language, a cosmic perspective that forever redefined humanity's place in the universe.

Back on Earth, NASA's photo labs transformed these moments into silver-gelatin and chromogenic masterworks — hauntingly beautiful, technically groundbreaking. These are not just records of science, but masterpieces of 20th-century art.

The Victor Martin-Malburet Collection, exhibited in museums including the Grand Palais and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, is the most comprehensive private archive of these vintage NASA photographs — featuring both the rare published icons and the unseen gems kept in NASA's vaults for decades.

Now, 449 timeless photographs are available at auction. Each print is a physical witness to humankind's first steps into the cosmos, bearing original NASA stamps, mission watermarks, and the aura of authenticity.

As we return to the Moon and dream of Mars, these works speak louder than ever. They are the first self-portraits of humanity as a spacefaring species — as timeless as cave paintings, as bold as the Renaissance, as visionary as modernism.

For all mankind.

Please note that a full version of the catalogue is available by clicking on the icon "catalogue" on the right.

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Paris, Avenue Hoche
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Auction highlights

[Apollo 11] A MAN ON THE MOON: portrait of Buzz Aldrin with the photographer, LM Eagle and Earth reflected in his gold-plated sun visor Neil Armstrong, 16-24 July 1969[Apollo 11] A MAN ON THE MOON: portrait of Buzz Aldrin with the photographer, LM Eagle and Earth reflected in his gold-plated sun visor Neil Armstrong, 16-24 July 1969. Sold for €28,160 inc. premium
[Apollo 11] THE FOOTPRINT ON THE MOON Buzz Aldrin, July 16-24, 1969[Apollo 11] THE FOOTPRINT ON THE MOON Buzz Aldrin, July 16-24, 1969. Sold for €8,960 inc. premium
[Gemini IV] COVER OF LIFE: the first U.S. space walk by Ed White James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965[Gemini IV] COVER OF LIFE: the first U.S. space walk by Ed White James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965. Sold for €7,040 inc. premium
[Apollo 17] THE FINAL EARTHRISE: a poetic crescent Earth above the Moon's dramatic horizon Ronald Evans, 7-19 December 1972[Apollo 17] THE FINAL EARTHRISE: a poetic crescent Earth above the Moon's dramatic horizon Ronald Evans, 7-19 December 1972. Sold for €3,584 inc. premium
[Apollo 4] THE HISTORIC FIRST LIFTOFF OF THE SATURN V ROCKET: NASA's crucial milestone for the Moon landing NASA, 9 November 1967[Apollo 4] THE HISTORIC FIRST LIFTOFF OF THE SATURN V ROCKET: NASA's crucial milestone for the Moon landing NASA, 9 November 1967. Sold for €3,072 inc. premium

Lot gallery

449 lots available

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[Mercury Atlas 6] THE HISTORIC FIRST HUMAN-TAKEN PHOTOGRAPH FROM SPACE: Earth's Horizon Above the African Coast, Captured from Friendship 7 John Glenn, 20 February 1962
[Mercury Atlas 6] HUMANITY'S SPACE JOURNEY BEGINS: John Glenn orbits Earth Aboard Friendship 7 NASA, 20 February 1962
[Mercury Atlas 6] PRESIDENT KENNEDY CELEBRATES THE FIRST US ORBITAL SPACEFLIGHT AT MISSION CONTROL NASA, 23 February 1962
[Saturn I SA-1] DAWN OF PROJECT APOLLO: first launch of the Saturn space vehicle (diptych) NASA, 27 October 1961
[Mercury Atlas 7] PORTRAIT OF A SPACE PIONEER: Scott Carpenter with NASA's insignia before the Aurora 7 mission NASA, early 1962
[Mercury Atlas 8] SPACE AND PHOTOGRAPHY PIONEER: Walter Schirra inspecting the first Hasselblad camera for use in space aboard Sigma 7 NASA, 20 September 1962
[Project Apollo] THE LEGENDARY NEW NINE: portrait of NASA's second group of astronauts NASA, September 1962
[Mercury Atlas 9] THE LAST SPACE PIONEER: Gordon Cooper's final solo and first day-long U.S. space mission aboard Faith 7 (diptych) NASA, January - May 1963
[Mercury Atlas 9] FIRST HIGH-RESOLUTION HASSELBLAD PHOTOGRAPH FROM SPACE: Earth's horizon over Western Tibet and Kashmir Gordon Cooper, 15-16 May 1963
[Mercury Atlas 9] GORDON COOPER EMERGES FROM FAITH 7, GLORIOUSLY CONCLUDING PROJECT MERCURY (diptych) NASA, 16 May 1963
[Mercury Atlas 9] FIRST HIGH-RESOLUTION HASSELBLAD PHOTOGRAPH FROM SPACE: great Indian desert with abstract cloud patterns Gordon Cooper, 15-16 May 1963
[Project Apollo] THE VISIONARIES OF THE MOON LANDING: Dr. Wernher von Braun Briefs President Kennedy on the Saturn Rocket NASA, November 1963
[Gemini III] THE FIRST GEMINI ASTRONAUTS: pioneers of the first U.S. two-man space mission NASA, April 1964
[Gemini I] FIRST UNMANNED LAUNCH OF THE TWO-MAN GEMINI SPACECRAFT NASA, 8 April 1964
[Ranger VII] FIRST LUNAR IMPACT: captured by the first spacecraft to photograph another world up close NASA, 31 July 1964
[Gemini II] THE FIRST COLOUR IMAGE OF ATMOSPHERIC RE-ENTRY CAPTURED FROM A MAN-RATED SPACECRAFT NASA, 19 January 1965
[Ranger VIII] THE MOMENT OF FIRST IMPACT ON THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY (triptych) NASA, 20 February 1965
[Gemini III] THE SPACE TWINS: Gus Grissom and John Young Preparing for America's First Two-Man Space Mission (diptych) NASA, 1964-1965
[Gemini III] THE FIRST U.S. TWO-MAN SPACECRAFT ORBITS THE EARTH John Young, 23 March 1965
[Gemini IV] LAUNCH OF THE FIRST US SPACEWALK MISSION NASA, 3 June 1965
[Gemini IV] THE FIRST-EVER PHOTOGRAPH OF A HUMAN IN SPACE: Ed White floating over Hawaii during the first U.S. spacewalk James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] THE BEAUTY OF EARTH FROM SPACE (diptych): blue horizon over Florida, including Cape Kennedy James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] FIRST U.S. SPACE WALK: Ed White floating in space over South California James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] EARTH FROM SPACE: Gulf of California, mouth of the Colorado River Ed White, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] COVER OF LIFE: the first U.S. space walk by Ed White James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] THE FIRST HUMAN-TAKEN PHOTOGRAPH FROM OUTER SPACE: Gemini capsule against the dark void of space Ed White, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] ED WHITE TAKING THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPHS FROM OUTER SPACE DURING THE FIRST U.S. SPACEWALK James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] SPACE SUNRISE ABOVE THE PACIFIC OCEAN Ed White or James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] FIRST U.S. SPACE WALK: Ed White in levitation above Earth over New Mexico James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION FROM SPACE: Egypt's Nile River Delta James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] FIRST U.S. SPACE WALK: Ed White's free-falling around Earth above Lower California James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] FIRST U.S. SPACE WALK: Ed White floating in space with the spacecraft reflected in his gold-plated visor James McDivitt, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] THE FIRST SPACE PORTRAIT: Ed White, captured weightless inside the capsule after the first U.S. spacewalk James McDivitt, 3–7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] FIRST U.S. SPACEWALK: Ed White reluctantly returning to the spacecraft NASA, 3-7 June 1965
[Gemini IV] THE GLORIOUS RETURN OF THE FIRST US SPACEWALKER NASA, 7 June 1965
[Mariner IV] FIRST PHOTOGRAPH OF MARS: the finest in the series of the first 21 close-up photographs ever captured of Mars NASA, 15 July 1965
[Gemini V] COVER OF LIFE: Earth horizon over Baja California Gordon Cooper or Pete Conrad, 21-29 August 1965
[Gemini V] FEATURED IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: Wild China from space Gordon Cooper or Pete Conrad, 21-29 August 1965
[Gemini V] FEATURED IN LIFE, 'SO VAST, SO BEAUTIFUL, SO OVERPOWERING': Cape Kennedy from space Gordon Cooper or Pete Conrad, 21-29 August 1965
[Gemini VI] FROM A SCRUBBED MISSION TO THE FIRST RENDEZVOUS IN SPACE: Walter Schirra and Thomas Stafford ready for launch (diptych) NASA, 20 October 1965 and 15 December 1965
[Gemini VI-A] THE HISTORIC FIRST RENDEZVOUS IN SPACE: Gemini VII spacecraft station keeping with Gemini VI-A over the Earth, at 17,000 mph Thomas Stafford, 15-16 December 1965
[Gemini VI-A] FIRST RENDEZ-VOUS IN SPACE: Gemini VII spacecraft orbiting over the cloud-covered Earth, at 17,000 mph Thomas Stafford, 15-16 December 1965
[Gemini VI-A] FIRST RENDEZVOUS IN SPACE: a "golden disk in the sky" Thomas Stafford, 15-16 December 1965
[Gemini VII] THE LAUNCH OF THE FIRST LONG-DURATION SPACE MISSION (diptych) NASA, 4 December 1965
[Gemini VII] FIRST MOONRISE: first photograph of the Moon rising over the Earth taken from space by humans James Lovell or Frank Borman, 4-18 December 1965
[Gemini VII] FISHEYE VIEW INSIDE THE CRAMPED FIRST TWO-MAN US SPACECRAFT NASA, December 1965
[Gemini VII] "BEAT ARMY": Gemini VI-A crew holding a sign in the window during the first rendezvous in space Frank Borman or James Lovell, December 4-18, 1965
[Gemini VII] TITAN'S SECOND STAGE AND EARTH'S LIMB AT SUNSET: the first image of a rocket stage captured from space by humans Frank Borman or James Lovell, 4-18 December 1965
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