The Photograph Collector Information, Opinion, and Advice for Collectors, Curators, and Dealers N E W S L T R
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTOR INFORMATION, OPINION, AND ADVICE FOR COLLECTORS, CURATORS, AND DEALERS N E W S L T R Volume XXXVII, No. 9 September 2016 A SLOW BEGINNING TO A BUSY FALL by Stephen Perloff Josiah Johnson Hawes: Bowdoin Street, Boston, c. 1860 ($1,000–$1,500) at Skinner, Inc., Boston AUCTION PREVIEW AUCTION PREVIEW views, to interiors of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Skinner, Inc. will present a strong selection Museum, to snow-covered mountains in Alaska. of fine photographs for beginning and experienced At the end of the 19th century, Alvin Langdon collectors in its September 23, 2016, Fine Prints Coburn (Lot 109, $500–$700) and the Pictorial- and Photographs auction, which opens for bidding ist movement attempted to elevate photography to at 12 p.m. The sale of 61 lots features works by the status of art, emphasizing artistic expression over subject matter. Two masters of the first half modern and contemporary masters including An- th sel Adams, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Walker Ev- of the 20 century are Walker Evans (Lots 110 and ans, and Annie Leibovitz in addition to a special 111, both $1,000–$1,500), who created poignant themed section celebrating photography in Boston photographic records of the American vernacu- and New England. lar, and Harry Callahan (Lots 116 and 117, both The New England region, and Boston in par- $1,000–$1,500), who explored nature, people, and ticular, has played an important role in the his- architecture with an experimental eye. tory of photography. Invented in 1839 in France, the daguerreotype process was the first practical means of obtaining permanent images with a cam- era, and was quickly adopted in America. One of the first demonstrations of this exciting new in- vention took place at the Massachusetts Historical Society in the spring of 1840. By 1850 the city was home to dozens of daguerreotype studios in- cluding that of Southworth and Hawes, who have been hailed as the first great American masters of photography. Two albumen silver prints by Josiah Johnson Hawes from c. 1860 will get the bidding started (Lot 103, $1,000–$1,500, and Lot 104, $1,200–$1,800). Walker Evans: Belle Grove Plantation, White Castle, As photographic technology evolved, pho- Louisiana, 1935, printed later ($1,000–$1,500) at Skin- tographers like Francis Hacker (Lot 105, $1,000– ner $1,500), Thomas Marr (Lot 106, $300–$500), and later Bradford Washburn (Lots 113 and 114, both The second half of the 20th century was a $1,000–$1,500), produced a range of commercial particularly fertile period for photography in Bos- and documentary photography, from urban street ton with teaching programs established at major educational institutions. Nick Nixon (Lot 120, $1,000–$1,500), Jim Dow (Lot 131, $600–$800), Barbara Bosworth (Lot 123, $700–$900), and IN THIS ISSUE Henry Horenstein (Lot 127, $700–$900) are well known in the area for their photographs, as well Auction Preview..........................................................1 as for their influential teaching. The growth of the Gallery Row .................................................................4 photography market in the 1970s was reflected in the opening of galleries, as well as increased ac- Museum and Nonprofit Row ......................................5 quisitions and exhibitions at museums, and con- Auction House Row ....................................................9 temporary photography has continued to flourish. Fairs and Festivals ...................................................10 This auction offers just a sampling of the work of Classes and Workshops ..........................................12 artists who have contributed to, and continue to In Passing..................................................................13 enrich, the history and practice of photography in Auction Schedule .....................................................15 the region since the exciting demonstration of Da- Courses, Lectures, and Seminars...........................19 guerre’s invention in Boston in 1840. Trade Shows, Fairs, and Festivals ..........................20 Highlights from the entire sale include, but are Exhibitions of Note ...................................................23 not limited to: 2 AUCTION PREVIEW continued • Wilson Alwyn Bentley, Four Photographs— ing the story of Leica cameras from circa 1923 to Three of Snowflakes and One of Frost (Lot 2006 (£350,000–£450,000). The family tree was 133, $1,500–$2,500) formerly part of the Leica Sölms factory museum. • Alexander Rodchenko, The Cigarette Seller, Pushkin Square, Moscow (Lot 135, $600– $800) • Ansel Adams, South House and Church Gate, Taos Pueblo (Lot 136, $2,000–$3,000) • Peter Fink, Refractions, Park Avenue, New York (Lot 150, $1,500–$2,500) • Annie Leibovitz, Rolling Stones, New York (Lot 160, $4,000–$6,000) Leica Camera Family Tree (£350,000–£450,000) at Christie’s South Kensington Annie Leibovitz: Rolling Stones, New York ($4,000– $6,000) at Skinner Previews for the auction will be held on Wednesday, September 21, from 12–5 p.m.; Thursday, September 22, from 12–8 p.m.; and Friday, September 23, from 9–12 p.m. The auc- tion can also be viewed online. To order a printed catalogue, email [email protected], or call (508) 970-3240. For more information regarding the auction, contact Michelle Lamunière, Fine Photographs Specialist, at (508) 970-3264 or photographs@ skinnerinc.com. On September 14 Christie’s South Kens- ington will host Out of the Ordinary – The 250th Anniversary Edition. The annual auction is a celebration of all things out of the ordinary: the unusual and the unique, the extraordinary and ex- ceptional. This year’s edition comprises over 90 La Dolce Vita. Anita Ekberg in Federico Fellini's film, lots selected for the intriguing stories they tell. A 1960 (€300– €400) at Yann Le Mouël highlight of the auction is the Leica Camera Fam- Maître Yann Le Mouël's auction in Paris on ily Tree, a display consisting of 107 models tell- September 20 of Cinema Photography, with Vivi- 3 AUCTION PREVIEW continued ane Esders, Expert, features several hundred lots of often interesting but lower-priced images. Sotheby’s “Made in Britain” auction on Sep- tember 28 in London is a celebration of the di- versity and creativity of British art from 1900 to the present day, across Fine Art, Prints, Sculpture, Photography, Studio Ceramics, and Design. The sale encompasses over 200 artworks by sought- after artists including Grayson Perry, David Hock- ney, Bridget Riley, Tracey Emin, and Damien Hirst to name a few. The eclectic exhibition goes on view to the public on September 23 starring modern muses in Pop Art, photographs from the Swinging Sixties, colorful Post-War canvases, and R.J. Waters & Co.: Two albums with 97 photographs Contemporary prints perfect for a new buyer’s first aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire foray into collecting. ($15,000–$25,000) Lord Patrick Litchfield’s photograph captures PBA Galleries’ September 8th sale of Rare the Queen off-duty on board the HMY Britan- Books & Manuscripts, with the Stephen F. Rohde nia (£800–£1,200). Lichfield was a cousin of the Collection of Early Americana, includes two al- Queen, and thus privy to far more private shots of bums with 97 photographs of the aftermath of the her. In 1971, he was invited to join the royal party 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire ($15,000– for a section of the Queen’s Far Eastern tour, in $25,000). order to produce photographs to mark her Silver Wedding anniversary in November 1972. u u u Brian Duffy’s photograph of David Bowie Gallery ROW (£8,000–£12,000) was the result of a magical Lou Proud is an independent London-based photographic shoot for the cover of Aladdin Sane, dealer, advisor, and consultant specializing in 20th- Bowie’s 1973 album – an iconic image of a man and 21st-century photographs. During her career in whose visual style influenced a generation. photography spanning two decades so far she has worked directly with a long roster of internation- ally acclaimed artists and galleries, most recent- ly leading the photography auction department at Phillips in London for six years. In her newest venture, Lou Proud Photo- graphs/LPP, Lou advises on collections, print sales, and valuations of photographs, collaborates with galleries and has recently agreed to curate the first European Photographs sale for Paddle 8, which will take place in December. Currently she is working on the exhibition “From Dada to Vogue,” which will take place at Osborne/Samuel in October — where her role is curate the Pho- Eve Arnold: Press Meeting at The Ritz for the Prince tographs part of the exhibition, which will be the and the Showgirl, 1957 most comprehensive survey of Erwin Blumen- The sale also presents a plethora of images of feld’s work for more than 20 years. Marilyn Monroe, from an oil and collage work by Since her departure from Phillips at the end Pop Artist Sir Peter Blake to photographs by Sir of last year she has held a salon style event in Cecil Beaton and Eve Arnold. In Arnold’s photo- partnership with the British book dealer, Oliver graph (£8,000–£12,000) Monroe is shown at a press Wood, turning one of the best suite’s in the Beau- meeting at the Ritz during the filming ofThe Prince mont Hotel into a welcoming and stylish drop-in and the Showgirl with Sir Laurence Olivier. for anyone wanting to get up close and personal 4 GALLERY ROW continued to great pieces of photography whilst browsing Goldsmiths, University of London; as well as Co- some of the finest and most interesting first edi- rey Keller, SFMOMA curator of photography. tions from Wood’s inventory — coffees and glass- Among many topics, discussions will examine es of red wine were on hand for any fatigued Photo the frontier between still and moving images in the London devotees. Following this event there was work of Gerrard and Kydd and photographic prac- a total change of gear geographically and venue tices as modes of investigation, from archeologi- wise — Lou collaborated with the vintage Ferrari cal (Al-Ani) to technological (Paglen) to forensic dealer Joe Macari in putting on a small and con- (Weizman).