Rinko Kawauchi, Condensation @Mountain Fold

JTF (just the facts): A total of 34 color images and 1 video, displayed in a small, one-room gallery space. 29 of the images (all c-prints, mounted on Plexiglas) have been hung in an uneven installation across several walls, clustered together in varying sizes without frames. The other 5 images are much larger and have been traditionally framed in white with no mat. All of the works are printed in editions of 3, except 2 of the large prints, which are in editions of 6. The images come in three sizes, irrespective of their size in the installation: small (10×10 or 8×12), medium (20×20 or 20×23), and large (40×40 or 30×45). The show is a mix of old and new work, going back to 2006. The color video runs 20 minutes, and is as yet untitled. (Installation shots at right.)

Comments/Context: Rinko Kawauchi’s photographs are deceptively simple. At first glance, they are easily mistaken for fleeting snapshots of unassuming moments and everyday objects: a flower in the rain, a tree trunk, a bag of gold fish, a squirt gun, the tail lights of a car, a waterfall, a baby nursing, an empty swing, or a glittering diamond. Seen together in this installation, these modest images take on a different character; they are like a breath of fresh air, a life affirming and wholly original look at the natural cycles around us.
In an age where photography has often become weighed down in conceptual frameworks, depressing realities and ironic commentaries, Kawauchi’s work is remarkably guileless; it is light and optimistic, even in moments of melancholy or meditation, with a child-like openness to exploring the world. Many of the images share an enveloping bright glare (not harsh but somehow soft), natural light pouring out of the pictures, obscuring their details. Others have an uncorrupted clarity, an overlooked fragment of life suddenly coming into view. The video takes this same aesthetic and applies it to movement (via snippets of film): ants in a hole, a bubbling hot pot, kids playing soccer, a helicopter taking off, crowds on the street, wind across dunes, a hair band of colored marbles, fans at a stadium, koi being fed in a pond, a child playing with a flashing toy. Perfectly commonplace moments are somehow connected via a surplus of attention; it’s as if Kawauchi is noticing the wonders of these things for the very first time.
Not every image in this show is truly able to hold its own as a stand alone object (or deserves to be blown up to 40×40), but when these works are placed together in groups or clusters, they function well in creating an overall mood. Kawauchi has a singular point of view, extraordinary in its simplicity and lightness, a surprisingly refreshing foil to the dominant trends in the medium.
Collector’s POV: Prices in this show are based on size: the smallest prints are $3500, the medium ones are $6500, and the large prints are $10000. Kawauchi was previously represented by Cohan and Leslie in New York, which is now closed; I don’t believe this show signals a new permanent relationship. Until her representation is re-established in New York, her work can also be found at FOIL Gallery in Tokyo (here). Kawauchi’s work has only recently entered the secondary markets; with just a handful lots sold (in various sizes), it is hard to draw much pricing history from these few data points.
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Rating: * (one star) GOOD (rating system described here)
Transit Hub:
  • ICP Infinity award, 2009 (here)
  • Interview: Kopenhagen, 2006 (here)
  • Aila exhibit @UCR, 2004 (here)
Through November 28th
Mountain Fold Gallery
55 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10003

The Edge of New York: Waterfront Photographs @MCNY

JTF (just the facts): A total of 39 black and white and color images hung in a hallway display area and side viewing room on the second floor. The 20 contemporary prints (from 2002-2005) are framed in white and matted and hung in the hallway space; the 19 vintage images (from 1935-1949) are framed in black and matted and hung in the adjacent room. The exhibit was curated by Sean Corcoran. (Marginal installation shots at right.)

The following photographers are included in the exhibit, with the number of images on view in parentheses:

Berenice Abbott (5)
Diane Cook (10)
Andreas Feininger (7)
Len Jenshel (10)
David Robbins (7)

Comments/Context: I give the Museum of the City of New York quite a bit of credit for working hard to find ways to stay relevant and fresh. Given its historical collection of New York ephemera, it’s only real option is to build connections between the past and the present. This small show of waterfront photographs does just that: it juxtaposes older photographs from the permanent collection with contemporary works of the same subject matter, a sort of “before” and “after” comparison of docks and wharfs, a time travel lesson on how these areas have evolved over the years.

The show begins in the side room, with groups of pictures by Andreas Feininger, Berenice Abbott, and David Robbins from the 1930s and 1940s. This was the boom time for the New York waterfront, with busy docks and piers full of longshoremen, bustling fish markets and boat yards, and big ships being helped along by tugboats; trade via the waterfront was the city’s economic engine. Most of the images have a gritty WPA/FSA realism, with a touch of simple Modernist composition.
The contemporary view of the waterfront is altogether different: for the most part is an abandoned and decaying wasteland, in some places being “revitalized” and redeveloped for new uses. While big containers do enter and pile up at the port facility, there are plenty of lonely piers, ship graveyards and overgrown weeds nearby. The husband and wife team of Cook (in black and white) and Jenshel (in color) have documented this post-industrial environment with an eye for hidden beauty and unlikely romance: bright fireworks in the sky, artfully decomposing ferry posts, dark steel skeletons reflected in the water, and the underside of George Washington bridge lit up at night.
Taken together, the two groups of works provide an interesting contrast in both content and style, and remind us of a continuing thread in the history of the city.
Collector’s POV: The vintage material in this show strays away from the usual images, and dives deeper into the work of both Abbott and Feininger, digging out some lesser known pictures of the waterfront. Prior to the show, I was completely unaware of David Robbins, but his “Along the Waterfront” project from the 1930s seems to merit some further investigation.
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Diane Cook and Len Jenshel are represented by Kathleen Ewing Gallery in Washington D.C. (here) and Joseph Bellows Gallery in La Jolla (here). Their work has not found its way into the secondary markets much (if at all), so gallery retail is likely the only option for interested collectors.
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Rating: * (one star) GOOD (rating system described here)

Transit Hub:

  • Cook/Jenshel artist site (here)
  • Review: NY Times Lens blog (here)
1220 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10029

Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New York City Parks, Photographs by Joel Meyerowitz @MCNY

JTF (just the facts): A large show comprising two sets of prints: 1.) a total of 74 color images, framed in white with no mats, hung in groups (organized by NYC borough) in a large gallery space with a center wall divider, and 2.) a group of 13 extra large scale color works printed on Tyvek, and hung as wavy tapestries in the first two rooms of the exhibition (several are also printed directly on divider screens and one is mounted on the floor.) All of the images were taken between 2006 and 2009. The regular pigment prints come in a variety of sizes, including panoramas; the smallest prints are often hung in pairs, two high. (Marginal installation shots at right.)

Comments/Context: I think Joel Meyerowitz‘ big show of images from New York City’s many parks caught me a bit off guard; it wasn’t what I was expecting, and as a result, I found myself wandering through the galleries with questions bouncing around in my head. The punch line is that I think this show is less about the art and more about the parks, so my frame of reference was meaningfully out of kilter.

As you enter the exhibit, you are engulfed in a small room with floor to ceiling waterscapes of the Bronx River in various seasons, covering every inch of the space, including the floor (see picture at right, top). While these are photographs, they are printed on non-traditional surfaces and materials, making them feel a bit like trade show decor rather than art. The second room continues with these huge fabric images, now mostly of specimen trees, albeit in a more traditional gallery like setting, adorned with park benches (see picture at right, middle). While this two room prelude certainly succeeds at being both unexpected and eye catching, I was left a little perplexed by its kitchy theatricality.

The main gallery spaces bring you back down into the traditional world of a museum, with normal sized images hung in frames on white walls. The exhibit is organized by borough (Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island), and depicts the various parks in those locales, across the seasons.

One of the first questions that I began to consider when seeing these images was “what is a park anyway”? There are no grand Ansel Adams vistas here, no majestic mountains, broad canyons, or sinuous deserts. These are straightforward, mostly deciduous forests (common across the Northeast), often connected to local waterways, and hemmed in by urban sprawl. Much of the landscape depicted is new growth forest; there are lots of spindly young trees recapturing land that was once cleared, making it “wilderness” once again. These are close-up spaces that have been protected against the thundering herds of humanity that threaten to overrun them; some are open for public use, while others are hidden and left generally alone. They all provide opportunities for residents to get out of the concrete canyons and spend time in “nature”, although that word seems to have a relatively broad definition in these pictures; while there are plenty of glimpses of beauty on view here, there are also odd juxtapositions, boring and mundane views, and more than a few remnants of human alterations left behind to rot.

Which brings me to the second question in my head: “what is landscape photography in the 21st century”? Meyerowitz‘ images of NYC parks are surprisingly lacking in a common view point. In some pictures, there are the astonishing colors and delicate compositions of Eliot Porter, unfortunately veering into the realms of calendar art from time to time. In others, we see the sawed off tree trunks, worn ruts, and ugly remains of Robert Adams, reminding us of how we have carelessly destroyed many of these pristine environments. Still others have the claustrophobic feel of Lee Friedlander’s dense thickets, overgrown with vines and underbrush. And a few have the subtle grace of Joel Sternfeld’s landscapes, images taken with the knowing eye of a local, who can appreciate the nuances of change across the seasons, even in unspectacular terrain. Where Meyerowitz was in all this was harder to discern; while the good and bad of the subject matter certainly had an impact on the options the photographer had for making the pictures, I had a hard time finding Meyerowitz‘ own point of view in this exhibit.

As a stood in the galleries, I heard several other visitors proudly exclaim “I’ve been there!” and I think this is actually the keystone for appreciating this show; for folks who live in New York, this exhibit will end up being less about Joel Meyerowitz and his particular artistic vision for the landscape form, and more about the parks themselves and the various experiences they offer to visitors. Many of us will discover new places to explore, or be reminded of places we haven’t been in years and should go back to. In this way, the show is quite satisfying; it succeeds in reintroducing the land to its inhabitants. As memorable art, I’m not sure it rates quite so highly; while these images are undeniably well crafted, I think the only way these pictures stand up to the tests of the canon of great landscape photography is if we redefine what the genre is based on the realities of our current time, placing a greater weight on those pictures which tell the ongoing story of the coexistence of land and man.

Collector’s POV: Joel Meyerowitz is represented by Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York (here). Meyerowitz‘ work is routinely available in the secondary markets, dominated by prints made in large editions (75 or even 100) of his 1970s images, particularly his series of porches on Cape Cod. Prices have typically ranged from $1000 to $14000, mostly on the lower end of that range. I have heard several times from different people over the past year or so that there is a movement afoot to “reposition” Meyerowitz, putting more emphasis on his early street work and his relationship to other early adopters of color. How that relates to this current body of landscape work is less clear.

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Rating: * (one star) GOOD (rating system described here)

Transit Hub:

  • Artist site (here)
  • Aperture book (here) and box set (here)
  • New York City Department of Parks and Recreation site (here)

Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10029

Auction Previews: Contemporary Art, Parts I and II, November 12 and 13, 2009 @Phillips

Phillips is last in line in the Contemporary Art sales this Fall season. While the two sales have Phillips’ usual complement of fresh contemporary work, there are few “lightning rod” pictures on offer; many top names are represented, but the works available are mostly second tier. There are 5 photographic lots in Part I (Evening); the rest of the contemporary photographs can be found in Part II (Day). There are a total of 60 photography lots for sale across the two auctions, with a Total High Estimate of $2436000. (Catalog covers at right, via Phillips.)

Here’s the breakdown:
Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000): 18
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): $129000
Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000): 36
Total Mid Estimate: $927000
Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000): 6
Total High Estimate: $1380000
The top lot by High estimate is lot 8, Richard Prince, Untitled (four women with their backs to the camera), 1980, at $400000-600000.
Here is a short list of the photographers who are represented by more than one photo lot in the two sales (with the number of lots in parentheses):
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Matthew Barney (3)
Paul McCarthy (3)
Richard Prince (3)
Cang Xin (2)
Gregory Crewdson (2)
Hai Bo (2)
David LaChapelle (2)
Vik Muniz (2)
Andres Serrano (2)
Wolfgang Tillmans (2)
Massimo Vitali (2)

There really aren’t any perfect fits for our particular collection in this sale. I did however enjoy the Gerhard Richter overpainted photograph, lot 112, Untitled (20.2.96), 1996.
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The complete lot by lot catalogs can be found here (Part I) and here (Part II).
November 12th
November 13th
450 West 15 Street
New York, NY 10011

Auction Preview: Photographs, November 10, 2009 @Bloomsbury London

Bloomsbury’s upcoming London Photographs sale is a lower end mix of mostly lesser known vintage material, with a handful of photo books thrown in for good measure. While there are very few stand out contemporary works on offer, there will almost certainly be some bargains to be found here (the vast majority of lots have a high estimate of £2000 or lower). There are a total of 239 lots on offer, with a Total High Estimate of £470500. (Catalog cover at right, via Bloomsbury.)

Here’s the breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including £5000): 225
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): £324500

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between £5000 and £25000): 13
Total Mid Estimate: £118000

Total High Lots (high estimate above £25000): 1
Total High Estimate: £28000

The top lot by High estimate is lot 230, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Mediterranean Sea, Crete, 1990, at £22000-28000.

Here is a short list of the eclectic group of photographers who are represented by four or more lots in the sale (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Willy Ronis (10)
Osvaldo Salas (9)
Elliot Erwitt (6)
Thurston Hopkins (5)
Bob Willoughby (5)
Jack Eden (4)
Cornel Lucas (4)
Steve Pyke (4)
Chris Steele-Perkins (4)
Antanas Sutkus (4)

While this sale doesn’t have too many works that fit well with our collection, the cover image, lot 222 Irving Penn, Lily Melridge, New York, 1971/2007, would certainly match nicely with our other florals.

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here. A 3D version is also available.

Photographs
November 10th

Bloomsbury Auctions
24 Maddox Street
Mayfair
London WS1 1PP

Auction Previews: Contemporary Art Evening and Day Sales, November 11 and 12, 2009 @Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening and Day sales follow directly on the heels of those at Christie’s this season. There is only one photographic lot in the Evening sale (a Baldessari); the rest of the contemporary photographs can be found in the Day sale. Quite a few of the images up for sale come from the collection of Martin Margulies (here). There are a total of 55 photography lots on offer across the two sales, with a Total High Estimate of $4139000. (Catalog covers at right, via Sotheby’s.)

Here’s the breakdown:
Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000): 0
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): NA
Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000): 32
Total Mid Estimate: $859000
Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000): 23
Total High Estimate: $3280000
The top lot by High estimate is lot 40, John Baldessari, Life’s Balance, 1986, at $300000-400000.
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Here is a short list of the photographers who are represented by more than one photo lot in the two sales (with the number of lots in parentheses):
Hiroshi Sugimoto (5)
Thomas Struth (4)
Rineke Dijkstra (3)
Andreas Gursky (3)
Candida Hofer (3)
Florian Maier–Aichen (3)
Vik Muniz (3)
John Baldessari (2)
Bernd and Hilla Becher (2)
Thomas Demand (2)
Philip-Lorca DiCorcia (2)
Andres Serrano (2)
Zhang Huan (2)
For our collection, we’d likely choose lot 312, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Industrial Facades, 1998.
The complete lot by lot catalogs can be found here (Evening) and here (Day).
November 11th
November 12th
1334 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021

Silver Anniversary: 25 Photographs, 1835-1914 @Hans Kraus

JTF (just the facts): A total of 25 works, variously framed and matted, and hung in the entry, main gallery space and back viewing alcove. Several of the works are displayed in cases or available for viewing by request. A wide variety of 19th century processes are on display: daguerreotype, salt, albumen, cyanotype, silver bromide, carbon, photogravure, gum bichromate, and gum-platinum, as well as photogenic drawing negative, direct positive, and waxed paper negatives. The images range from 1835 to 1914. An in-depth scholarly catalogue of the show is available from the gallery for $40. (Marginal installation shots at right.)

The following photographers are included in the exhibit, with the number of images on view in parentheses:

Anna Atkins (1)

Hippolyte Bayard (1)
Julia Margaret Cameron (1)
Alvin Langdon Coburn (1)
Eugène Cuvelier (1)
Joseph-Philbert Girault de Prangey (1)
André Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri (1)
Dr. Alfred Donné (1)
Roger Fenton (1)
John Beasley Greene (1)
David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson (1)
Humphrey Lloyd Hime (1)
Rev. Calvert Richard Jones (1)
Gertrude Käsebier (1)
Heinrich Kühn (1)
Firmin–Eugène Le Dien and Gustave Le Gray (1)
Etienne-Jules Marey (1)
Dr. John Murray (1)
Paul Nadar (1)
Charles Nègre (1)
Auguste Salzmann (1)
Edward Steichen (1)
Alfred Stieglitz (1)
William Henry Fox Talbot (2)
Comments/Context: Even in a city as large as New York, it takes some effort to see quality 19th century photography on a regular basis. Hans Kraus‘ gallery on Park Avenue is perhaps the best place to see such work outside the major museums, and his 25th anniversary show on view now provides a selection of exceptional work going back to the medium’s very beginnings. The hushed tones and elegant atmosphere of the gallery create an imposing feeling of being somewhere special, where spectacular treasures just might be revealed.
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I’m certain that a connoisseur of 19th century work would find each and every image in this show a staggering amazement. But since our collection only brushes the edge of the 19th century, I found the exhibit to be headlined by a handful of stunning images, with many others also on display that I really was not educated enough to truly appreciate. The two large exhibition prints in the main gallery, one a lovely green-toned Pictorialist Steichen nude, the other a Steiglitz winter scene of New York, are superlative pieces; even I could see that both of these are truly breathtaking, irreplaceable museum quality works.
The Anna Atkins floral cyanotype in the hallway (Irises) is one of the best Atkins images I have ever seen in person; since we are flower collectors, we took some time to look at many of the other Atkins florals and algaes Kraus has in his inventory (not in the exhibit, but some of which we had bid on and lost at auction over the years), but the Irises were far and away superior in composition, with both bold lines (from the opaque leaves) and delicate veining (from the flowers). We also took some time to examine the early Talbot image Tripod in the Cloisters of Lacock Abbey, which we carefully viewed in dimmed light; the negative has a mysterious quality, as if the viewer could tag along as Talbot saw the first indistinct forms rise up out of the paper in 1835.
Other highlights include a mesmerizing portrait by Julia Margaret Cameron, Alvin Landon Coburn’s orange tinted print of an early flying machine, and Charles Negré’s still life image of a chandelier, complete with dancing white candle flames painted in by the artist by hand.
Overall, this is a show that will appeal most to experts, who will undoubtedly marvel at the universally fine specimens Kraus has gathered together to celebrate 25 years in the business. For those of us mortals who lack the deep knowledge of the intricacies and stories of all of these works, there are at least a few jaw-dropping blockbusters to catch your eye. I also think this show is worth a visit for contemporary collectors who tend to sweep by 19th century work without so much as a glance; this is a well edited sampler of images that can help to explain why 19th century photography is still both exciting and relevant.

Collector’s POV: The prints in the show range in price from $12000 to $175000, with very few near the bottom of that range and 7 other works labeled POR; given the quality and rarity of these items, it should be no surprise that the prices are off the charts. With photography’s overall rise in prominence, it seems more and more museums are coming to realize that they need to have representative works from the 19th century to tell a fuller story of the medium’s history, and yet, the pool of available works of top quality is shrinking. Thus, museums and a core group of dedicated collectors are snapping up these kinds of images quickly, with scarcity driving prices higher and higher.
As I noted above, the Atkins in this show would be the best fit for our own collection, but at $75000, it is priced above the normal range for her work; again, you’re paying for the best, from a well respected retail location, so be prepared to bite the bullet and pay a big price if you want the real gems that are offered here.

Rating: * (one star) GOOD (rating system described here)
Transit Hub:

  • Review: WSJ (here, scroll down)
Through December 18th

962 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10028

Auction Previews: Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening, Morning and Afternoon Sales, November 10 and 11, 2009 @Christie’s

Christie’s kicks off the New York Contemporary Art Fall season with a series of three sales next week. There is no photography in the high profile Evening sale, and only one image (a Warhol stitched work) in the Morning sale; all of the rest of the contemporary photographs can be found in the Afternoon sale. Most of the usual suspects are represented. There are a total of 62 photography lots on offer across the three sessions, with a Total High Estimate of $5038000. (Catalog covers at right, via Christie’s.)

Here’s the breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000): 0
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): NA

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000): 31
Total Mid Estimate: $888000

Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000): 31
Total High Estimate: $4150000

The top lots by High estimate are lot 353, Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #15, 1978, and lot 408, Andreas Gursky, Toys ‘R’ Us, 1999, both at $300000-400000.

Here is a short list of the photographers who are represented by more than one photo lot in the three sales (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Thomas Ruff (5)
Cindy Sherman (5)
Thomas Struth (5)
Andreas Gursky (3)
Louise Lawler (3)
Vik Muniz (3)
Hiroshi Sugimoto (3)
Matthew Barney (2)
Rineke Dijkstra (2)
Dan Graham (2)
Barbara Kruger (2)
Richard Prince (2)
Jeff Wall (2)
Zhang Huan (2)

For our collection, we’d likely select lot 417, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Gas Cooler Details, 2003.

The complete lot by lot catalogs can be found here (Evening), here (Morning) and here (Afternoon).

Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale
November 10th

Post-War and Contemporary Art Morning Sale
November 11th

Post-War and Contemporary Art Afternoon Sale
November 11th

Christie’s
20 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020

Doug DuBois: All the Days and Nights @Higher Pictures

JTF (just the facts): A total of 16 color images, framed in white and matted, and hung in the very small gallery space and viewing alcove. All of the works are digital c-prints; most are 20×24 in size and printed in editions of 10; there is a single image in a larger size (approximately 38×45) in an edition of 5. The images were made between 1984 and 2008. A monograph of this work was recently published by Aperture (here). (Installation shots at right.)
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Comments/Context: As we never seem to be afraid to go out on a limb, out we go once again: I think Doug DuBois clearly belongs on a top ten list of the most underrated contemporary photographers. While DuBois is well known by many working photographers and photography insiders, I’m sorry to say that I think he is likely a mystery to most collectors. I’d like to think that this intimate show might expose a few more people (at least in New York) to the emotional power of his work.
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DuBois‘ images document the minefield of tense, pregnant moments in the history of his family. Like the work of Larry Sultan, Mitch Epstein and even Tina Barney, DuBois captures the subtle gestures, stolen moments, sideways glaces, and awkward spaces that make up the relationships between family members, but his pictures seem even more full of weary intensity and agonizing pathos (“pathetic” in the true meaning of that word). Seeing these images gathered together from across the decades is like watching a slow motion car crash; the bonds of family are worn, and tested, and finally break, leaving behind an exhausted emptiness and isolation.

What most impressed me in this show was the consistency of the work. In most shows that travel these kinds of interior paths, there are a handful of images that get it “right”, while the rest miss the mark by a click or two, producing generally forgettable pictures. Not so here – virtually every picture in this show packs an emotional punch; there aren’t any throw aways or filler.
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I can’t say that if you spend the time to really look at these pictures that you won’t come away a bit tired and depressed by the anguished dissolution of this family. I can say however that the craft on display is top notch, and the intensity found in the images will grab your attention and make you think a bit deeper about the fragility of the bonds that tie your own family together.
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Collector’s POV: The images in the this show are priced at either $2000 or $3800, based on size. DuBois‘ work has very little auction history; the two recent images in the Christie’s Berman sale both bought in. As a result, gallery retail is likely the only real option for interested collectors at this point. While these works aren’t a match for our collecting genres, I think the work would fit especially well with Mitch Epstein’s Family Business series.
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On a side note, the folks at Higher Pictures should be commended for their simple and efficient handouts for this show. When I walked in, I was handed a copy of the press release and two pages of thumbnails with all the images in the show and their relevant details/prices. This package was given to every single visitor while I was in the gallery. Straightforward, effective, and useful: well done.
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Rating: ** (two stars) VERY GOOD (rating system described here).

Transit Hub:

  • Artist site (here)
  • Interview with Alec Soth @Conscientious (here)
  • Book review by Amy Stein @Ahorn Magazine (here)
  • Best shot @Guardian (here)

Doug DuBois: All the Days and Nights
Through December 5th
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Higher Pictures
764 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10065

Notes on the Aperture Benefit

Last night, we joined a bubbling throng of collectors, gallery owners, artists and supporters at the annual Aperture Benefit and Auction (here). Held at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, it was an elegant event in a chic space, with some of the best food we have had at a gala in quite a long time. Honorees included photographer Joel Meyerowitz, gallery owner Howard Greenberg, and trustee Susana Torruella Leval.

While the cocktail hour was a mob scene of short conversations between passing glances at the various auction lots, the dinner allowed for some more relaxed socializing. We enjoyed catching up with collector extraordinare Joe Baio and gallery owner Rick Wester (here), as well as meeting three photographers we hadn’t known before: Meghan Boody (here), Touhami Ennadre (here), and Gerald Slota (here). Slota even made a wild, red-infused portrait of us with the Polaroid camera on the table, somehow taken through the twisted bonzai centerpiece and then scratched up with the back of fork.

While we didn’t come home with anything from the auction, we certainly came away impressed with the Aperture organization, and our car ride back home was filled with a discussion of how much organizations like Aperture need the support of the surrounding community if they are to survive and thrive. Imagine we told you we had an idea to start a new business in today’s fast paced, immediate gratification media world, and that our idea was to publish a top quality quarterly magazine on paper (with superlative production values no less), and that as a second idea, we wanted to publish relatively small run art books, again with meticulous attention to quality and detail. Given the recent demise of Gourmet as an example of the current environment, you’d think we were absolutely nuts.

And yet Aperture is a cornerstone of the photography community, a vibrant resource that needs to be protected for the good of all. At some level, it’s easy to take such a wonderful organization for granted, but if we consider an alternate reality, where Aperture is missing from the conversation about fine art photography, I think we are all worse off by a meaningful margin. Last night’s event was good reminder for us that even in tough economic times, we all need to force ourselves to think more creatively about how to support those non-profit organizations that really make a difference. While we certainly enjoyed ourselves at last evening’s festivities, the deeper purpose of the event and what it represents to Aperture were certainly not lost on us.

Auction Results: Contemporary Art Day and Evening Sales, October 17, 2009 @Phillips London

The photography lots available in Phillips’ Contemporary Art Day and Evening Sales in London performed right in line with their counterparts at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Phillips had more photo lots and more estimated value on offer overall, but the buy-in rate was virtually the same and the Total Sale Proceeds for photography, while slightly larger than its rivals, fell meaningfully below the estimate range.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 54
Pre Sale Low Total Estimate: £961500
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: £1373500
Total Lots Sold: 38
Total Lots Bought In: 16
Buy In %: 29.63%
Total Sale Proceeds: £790975

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 9
Low Sold: 6
Low Bought In: 3
Buy In %: 33.33%
Total Low Estimate: £31500
Total Low Sold: £25875

Mid Total Lots: 29
Mid Sold: 23
Mid Bought In: 6
Buy In %: 20.69%
Total Mid Estimate: £372000
Total Mid Sold: £296100

High Total Lots: 16
High Sold: 9
High Bought In: 7
Buy In %: 43.75%
Total High Estimate: £970000
Total High Sold: £469000

92.11% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above their estimate. There were no surprises in this sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate).

The top lot by High estimate was lot 18, Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #8, 1978, at £100000-150000; it did not sell. The top outcome in the sale was lot 20, Florian Maier–Aichen, Untitled (Saddle Peak), 2004, at £103250.

Complete lot by lot results can be found here (Day) and here (Evening).

Phillips De Pury & Company
Howick Place
London SW1P 1BB

Auction Results: Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening and Day Sales, October 16 and 17, 2009 @Christie’s London

The works of Andreas Gursky were an important benchmark in Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening and Day sales in London, and with the help of Prada I covering its high estimate by more than £100000, the Total Sale Proceeds of the photography in the two sales came in above the midpoint of the range. While the buy-in rate for the photography crept up over 30%, it was certainly a respectable outcome overall.

Further highlights on the performance of the rest of the non-photography lots at all three major houses can be found here.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 36
Pre Sale Low Total Estimate: £612000
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: £866000
Total Lots Sold: 25
Total Lots Bought In: 11
Buy In %: 30.56%
Total Sale Proceeds: £772725

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 1
Low Sold: 1
Low Bought In: 0
Buy In %: 00.00%
Total Low Estimate: £5000
Total Low Sold: £12500

Mid Total Lots: 24
Mid Sold: 16
Mid Bought In: 8
Buy In %: 33.33%
Total Mid Estimate: £323000
Total Mid Sold: £214375

High Total Lots: 11
High Sold: 8
High Bought In: 3
Buy In %: 27.27%
Total High Estimate: £538000
Total High Sold: £545850

92.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above their estimate. There were four surprises in this sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 2 Andreas Gursky, Prada I, 1996, at £175250
Lot 124 Louise Lawler, Not Yet Titled, 2003, at £12500
Lot 205A Massimo Vitali, Rosignano Solvay Sea III, 1998, at £18750
Lot 213 Shirin Neshat, Untitled (from Women of Allah Series), 1994, at £27500

The top lot by High estimate was lot 8, Andreas Gursky, Salerno, 1990, at £90000-120000; it sold for £163250. The top outcome of the sale was lot 2, Andreas Gursky, Prada I, 1996, at £175250

Complete lot by lot results can be found here (Evening) and here (Day).

Christie’s
8 King Street, St. James’s
London SW1Y 6QT

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