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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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[Project Gemini] ICONIC PORTRAIT OF NEIL ARMSTRONG IN THE GEMINI G-2C SILVER SPACESUIT, CAPTURED BEFORE HIS FIRST SPACE MISSION NASA, 2 March 1964
[Gemini VIII] THE FIRST SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHED FROM SPACE BY HUMANS: Agena Target Vehicle Over Earth Before History's First Docking David Scott, 16-17 March 1966
[Gemini IX-A] FROM HELL TO PARADISE: the return of the second U.S. spacewalker NASA, 7 June 1966
[Gemini IX-A] THE ANGRY ALLIGATOR Eugene Cernan, 3-6 June 1966
[Gemini IX-A] "SPACEWALK FROM HELL": Eugene Cernan performing the dramatic second US spacewalk Thomas Stafford, 3-7 June 1966
[Surveyor I] SHADOW SELF PORTRAIT OF THE FIRST AMERICAN MOON LANDER NASA, 13 June 1966
[Gemini X] SPACE LEGENDS: John Young and Michael Collins' official crew portrait with Titan model and Earth globe NASA, 18-21 July 1966
[Gemini X] THE FIRST-EVER PHOTOGRAPH OF A MANNED SPACECRAFT BOOSTING IN SPACE Michael Collins, 18-21 July 1966
[Gemini X] COVER OF LIFE: Agena illuminated by orbital sunrise Michael Collins, 18-21 July 1966
[Gemini X] THE SPACECRAFT IN A RECORD-HIGH ORBIT OVER THE BLUE EARTH John Young, 18-21 July 1966
[Gemini X] THE SPACECRAFT APPROACHING AGENA FOR THE WORLD'S FIRST FLAWLESS SPACE DOCKING Michael Collins, 18-21 July 1966
[Gemini XI] LAUNCH OF THE HIGHEST EARTH ORBIT MISSION OF THE EARLY SPACE AGE NASA, 12 September 1966
[Lunar Orbiter I] EXTRAORDINARY WIDE-ANGLE VIEW OF THE CRESCENT EARTH RISING OVER THE MOON'S FAR SIDE: humanity's second photograph of Earth from the Moon NASA, 25 August 1966
[Lunar Orbiter I] HUMANITY'S FIRST PHOTOGRAPH OF EARTH FROM THE MOON: first published version NASA, 23 August 1966
[Gemini XI] FIRST HUMAN VIEW OF EARTH'S CURVATURE Richard Gordon, 12-15 September 1966
[Gemini XI] THE FIRST SPACE VEHICLE TETHERED TO A ANOTHER IN ORBIT: Agena over the Gulf of California Richard Gordon, 12-15 September 1966
[Gemini XI] SPACE COWBOY: Richard Gordon's EVA, astride the Gemini spacecraft in outer space NASA, 12-15 September 1966
[Gemini XI] THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPH OF AN ENTIRE SUBCONTINENT FROM SPACE: India seen from high-altitude orbit Richard Gordon, 12-15 September 1966
[Gemini XI] SPECTACULAR HIGH-ORBIT VIEW ABOVE THE ARABIAN PENINSULA Richard Gordon, 12-15 September 1966
[Gemini XI] RICHARD GORDON RETURNING TO THE SPACECRAFT HATCH AFTER A GRUELING SPACEWALK NASA, 12-15 September 1966
[Gemini XI] SURREAL SPACE SUNSET: terminator, Earth's limb, sunset and camera's reflection in the window Richard Gordon, 12-15 September 1966
[Gemini XI] THE RECORD-HIGH ORBITAL VIEW OF THE EARLY SPACE AGE: sunlit Australia from 740 nautical miles Richard Gordon, 12-15 September 1966
[Gemini XI] FLY HIGH: the highest Earth orbiters of the early Space Age NASA, 7 June 1966
[Lunar Orbiter II] WIDE-ANGLE VIEW OF THE 'PICTURE OF THE CENTURY': lunar horizon over Crater Copernicus (Large Format) NASA, 24 November 1966
[Lunar Orbiter II] THE PICTURE OF THE CENTURY: bird's eye view into the heart of Crater Copernicus NASA, 24 November 1966
[Gemini XII] THE FINAL LAUNCH OF PROJECT GEMINI: the Titan rocket lifting off with James Lovell and Buzz Aldrin aboard NASA, 11 November 1966
[Gemini XII] THE AGENA WITH U.S. FLAG ABOVE THE BLUE EARTH Buzz Aldrin or James Lovell, 11-15 November 1966
[Gemini XII] BUZZ ALDRIN PERFORMING THE FIRST FLAWLESS SPACEWALK IN HISTORY NASA, 11-15 November 1966 NASA, 11-15 November 1966
[Gemini XII] THE FIRST SELFIE IN OUTER SPACE Buzz Aldrin, 11-15 November 1966
[Gemini XII] OUTER SPACE VIEW OF GEMINI SPACECRAFT DOCKED TO AGENA OVER EARTH DURING STAND-UP EVA Buzz Aldrin, 11-15 November 1966
[Gemini XII] THE SUN RISING ABOVE THE SPACECRAFT: incredible view from outer space during the stand-up EVA Buzz Aldrin, 11-15 November 1966
[Gemini XII] GRACEFUL SPACE DANCE: the tethered Agena and Gemini drifting in unison above Earth Buzz Aldrin, 12-15 September 1966
[Gemini XII] BUZZ ALDRIN'S TRAILBLAZING SPACEWALK: the first flawless EVA in space history James Lovell, 11-15 November 1966
[Gemini XII] THE FIRST HUMAN VIEW OF A SOLAR ECLIPSE FROM OUTER SPACE Buzz Aldrin or James Lovell, 11-15 November 1966
[Gemini XII] SPECTACULAR SUNLIT EARTH OVER THE BAHAMAS Buzz Aldrin or James Lovell, 11-15 November 1966
[Lunar Orbiter III] STARK LUNAR HORIZON NEAR THE TERMINATOR OVER CENTRAL BAY (Large Format) NASA, February 1967
[Lunar Orbiter V] THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPH OF THE NEARLY FULL EARTH FROM LUNAR ORBIT NASA, 8 August 1967
[Lunar Orbiter V] WIDE-ANGLE VIEW OF THE MOON'S FARSIDE NASA, August 1967
[Lunar Orbiter IV] FIRST VIEW OF THE WHOLE MOON FROM A PERSPECTIVE OTHER THAN EARTH (Large Format) NASA, May 1967
[Surveyor III] THE FIRST-EVER PHOTOGRAPH OF AN ECLIPSE OF THE SUN BY THE EARTH, TAKEN FROM THE MOON NASA, 24 April 1967
[Surveyor VII] EXTRAORDINARY 4-PART 360° SURVEYOR MOSAIC PANORAMA OF THE TYCHO LANDING SITE NASA, 10 January 1968
[Apollo 6] STUNNING EARTH ORBITAL PANORAMA OVER THE SUNLIT ATLANTIC OCEAN NASA, 4 April 1968
[Apollo 1] SPACE HEROES: emblematic portrait of the ill-fated first Apollo astronauts NASA, 1 April 1966
[Apollo 1] NASA'S DARKEST HOUR: the tragic Command Module fire that claimed the lives of the first Apollo astronauts NASA, 27 January 1967
[Apollo 4] THE FIRST COLOR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WHOLE PLANET EARTH NASA, 9 November 1967
[ATS III] THE FIRST SELFIE OF HUMANITY: historic color photograph of Planet Earth's full disk NASA, 18 November 1967
[Apollo/Saturn 203] MISSION CONTROL IN HOUSTON PREPARING FOR THE FIRST APOLLO MISSIONS NASA, 5 July 1966
[Apollo 7] LAUNCH OF THE FIRST MANNED APOLLO MISSION NASA, 11 October 1968
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