Own Richard Avedon's one-of-a-kind Leica M6!

The Leica M6 is cemented as one of the greatest cameras in history and was used by some of the most notable photographers of all time. The 35mm analog camera was incredibly popular in documentary, photojournalism, and what is now considered street photography, and was a particular favorite of one of its founding fathers, Henri Cartier-Breeson.

Bonhams, an auction house in London, has an exceptional piece of photography history going up for auction. Not only is it one of the best Leica cameras of all time, it belonged to a legend of the medium - Richard Avedon.

This one-of-a-kind camera is an apple green Leica M6 that was specially commissioned by Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al-Thani and gifted to Richard Avedon in 2001. Renowned as a huge photography enthusiast, Al-Thani commissioned six M6 cameras from Leica and gifted them to Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Khalifa Al-Obaidly, Richard Avedon, and Sebastião Salgado – 6 of the most eminent photographers of the time.

Avedon's apple green leather-bodied camera was number 4 of 6 and was presented to him while working in his New York studio in 2001. The camera is inscribed 'As a gift to Richard Avedon', and features the signature of Al-Thani. The M6 also comes with a Summilux-M f/1.4 50mm lens, a classic combination.

It is stated that Avedon never in fact used this camera for taking photographs. A lot of Avedon's work was created with either large or medium format cameras, such as an 8x10 or a Rolleiflex, and with the uniqueness of the piece, this camera was likely kept as a keepsake and most likely has never been exposed to a roll of film (or exposed one!)

Avedon's Leica M6 with lens is lot number 65 in an upcoming auction at Bonhams on April 24, 2024, and the estimated cost of taking home a piece of photographic history is between £30,000 - £50,000 / $37,000 – $62,000.

See our guides for more information on the best Leica cameras, the best Leica M lenses, and the best Leica alternatives.