photographs of British supermodel Kate Moss are expected to sell for a total of $74,000, when they are auctioned off in London at the end of next month. Two naked portraits of the catwalk star, a 1996 print by Irving Penn, and a six foot square photograph by Albert Watson, are thought to raise about $44,000 and $30,000 respectively at the May 31 sale at London auction house Christie's.

Other photos to go under the hammer next month include a set of six prints of the 33-year-old without make-up, taken by Chuck Close, which is estimated to go for $40,000; an unpublished photo of the model when she was 16 and an image of Moss shot by Corinne Day in 1993 for the cover of Vogue fashion magazine.

Christie's head of photography, Yuka Yamaji, hailed Moss as "a cultural icon and arguably the most influential model of our day" when the announcement was made yesterday afternoon.