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

Humanism in China: A Contemporary Record of Photography @China Institute

JTF (just the facts): A total of 100 photographs, mostly black and white, framed in blond wood and matted, and hung on grey walls in two separate galleries. The rooms are densely hung with pictures, often in double (or even triple) rows; each room also has a room divider, with images hung on both sides. The images were taken between 1951 and 2003, and while some photographers are represented by more than one image, the vast majority have only one picture included (therefore the number of photographers on view almost equals the number of images on view). The show is a subset of a larger show of approximately 600 works by 270 photographers shown at the Guangdong Museum of Art (here). A thin volume detailing the project (with background essays and a checklist) is available from the Institute bookstore for $15. (The China Institute does not allow photography in the galleries, so no installation shots are available for this show. Individual images have been taken from the China Institute website.)

Comments/Context: Ever since the bold emergence of Chinese contemporary photography in the US art world about five years ago, we have been trying to get our arms around the context for this new work and to understand its origins and influences. And while we have spent some time familiarizing ourselves with some of the bold face names of the current generation (Liu Zheng here, Wang Qingsong here, and Zhang Huan here), coming to grips with the larger historical picture has been elusive (here).
The broad show of humanist photography now on view at the China Institute does an excellent job of filling in some major gaps. Whether these images came out of photojournalistic or purely artistic traditions doesn’t matter much in my view; what I can see for the first time is an obvious tie back to the rest of the history of photography. Most of the images are from the 1980s and 1990s (coincident with the time when China began to open up more widely), and collectively they create a much more diverse picture of China than the usual clichés might suggest. These are not heroic propaganda shots or staged scenes of happy workers; for the most part, the images are small vignettes of ordinary everyday life, caught with documentary precision, artistic attention to composition, and intimate tenderness. There are markets and construction sites, people bathing in the street, crowds of bicycles, farm workers and the repeated clashing of generations. These are the stories of the unidealized masses, full of life, humor, imperfection, and reality.
A few of the highlights from the show:
  • Li Nan’s startling images from orphanages, where children have been tied to their chairs, due to lack of staff to care for them.
  • Xu Peiwu’s images of migrants in urban areas. I enjoyed the twisting arcs of rebar in Large scale demolition of temporary urban housing, 1999 (at right, bottom) and his poignant image of people up in a dark tree watching fireworks over an industrial area.
  • Yang Xiaobing’s image of students perilously crossing a broken slat bridge to get to school each day.
  • Wang Shilong’s almost Modernist picture of dark figures sweeping the streets against the backdrop of a bright white wall (Responding to the call for a patriotic hygienic movement, citizens come forth to sweep the streets, 1958, at right, middle).
  • Hei Ming’s crazy patterns of rice bowls, hung outside a storefront (Iron Rice Bowl Workers’ dining hall, 2000, at right, top).
  • Liu Yiwei’s silhouetted construction worker, walking on the bare spikes of steel of an incomplete overpass, with the traffic rushing by underneath.

Overall, this is a diverse gathering of high quality work, full of juxtapositions of new and old, urban and rural. The dramatic change we have come to associate with China is seen for the first time on the micro level, where anonymous people confront the transformations on a personal basis. While not every image in this show rises to the level of documentary art (and the installation often feels overcrowded), I think this is an important exhibit that merits an investment of time; this is some of the Chinese photography the West has been missing, so make a detour to fill in some gaps in your education.

Collector’s POV: Given the way this exhibit was designed and hung, the photographers seem to be pushed to the background; the pictures are in the front, who made them hasn’t been highlighted. As such, it is extremely hard to get a feel for the broader artistic differences between the photographers who have been included. While there are certainly images we found memorable (some of which we alluded to above), it seems like this show might best be thought of as an introduction: now at least, we have a list of names to follow up.
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The problem is, of course, how to do this. I have no idea where the work of any of these photographers might be available in the US; perhaps it is only available in China. Please do add information to the comments section if you can provide useful pointers to where interested collectors can potentially follow-up.

Rating: ** (two stars) VERY GOOD (rating system described here).
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Transit Hub:
  • Additional exhibit related resources (here)
  • Reviews: WSJ (here)
Through December 13th
125 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10065

Dress Codes: The Third ICP Triennial of Photography and Video @ICP

JTF (just the facts): Over 200 photographs and videos in a large group show, representing the work of 34 photographers and artists, variously framed and matted or displayed on screens, and hung on colored walls in all the galleries of the museum (both upstairs and downstairs). The exhibit was curated by Vince Aletti, Kristen Lubben, Christopher Phillips and Carol Squiers. (Maddeningly, the ICP does not allow photography in the galleries, so no installation shots are avilable for this show. Individual images have been taken from the ICP website.)

The following photographers and artists have beein included in the exhibit, with the number of images/videos on view in parentheses:

Yto Barrada (9 as 1), 2006
Valérie Belin (4), 2006
Thorsten Brinkmann (13 and installation), 2007-2008
Cao Fei (4 spreads, 2 computers), 2008-2009
Olga Chernysheva (4), 2007
Nathalie Djurberg (1 video) 2006
Stan Douglas (1), 2008
Kota Ezawa (2), 2007
Jacqueline Hassink (1 video), 2004
Hu Yang (8), 2005
Miyako Ishiuchi (14), 2000-2005
Kimsooja (1 4-channel video), 2007-2008
Silvia Kolbowski (4), 1996-present
Jeremy Kost (91 as 1), 2005
Barbara Kruger (1), 2009
Richard Learoyd (1), 2008
Kalup Linzy (3 videos), 2008
Tanya Marcuse (14), 2002-2004
Anne Morgenstern (8), 2008
Wangechi Mutu (32), 2006
Grace Ndiritu (1 video), 2006-2007
Alice O’Malley (5), 2000
David Rosetzky (1 video), 2008
Martha Rosler (1), 2006
Julika Rudelius (1 3-channel video), 2003
Cindy Sherman (2), 2007-2008
Laurie Simmons (1), 2005
Lorna Simpson (50), 2009
Hank Willis Thomas (16), 2008
Mickalene Thomas (3), 2007-2008
Milagros de la Torre (4), 2008
Janaina Tschäpe (3), 2004
Pinar Yolaçan (5), 2007
Zhou Tao (1 video), 2007-2008

Comments/Context: The ICP’s sprawling “Year of Fashion” has been a grand exercise in museum planning, with a series of interlocking exhibits that have come at the idea of fashion from a variety of vantage points. We’ve seen deep retrospectives of the fashion work of Richard Avedon (review here) and Edward Steichen (review here), a crackling collection of current fashion imagery in “Weird Beauty” (review here), a carefully edited vintage selection in “This Is Not a Fashion Photograph” (review here), and smaller shows of work by Martin Munkacsi (review here) and David Seidner (review here). “Dress Codes” is the capstone to this yearlong event, a broad triennial of contemporary work, loosely bound by the idea of clothing and its many functions and meanings.

The concept of fashion as embodied in the clothes we wear every day, and the identities we construct for ourselves out of those clothes is an almost limitless sandbox in which to play: it encompasses nearly all of portraiture, and crosses over into still life, advertising, documentary photography, and even staged tableaux. The danger here is that a large exhibit like this one could easily wander off in any number of directions and still be under the massive umbrella of “clothes”. For the most part, the curating team has done an admirable job of keeping the work within a manageable set of boundaries, but breadth inevitably brings along an uneven mix of hits, misses, and head scratchers.

While there is certainly plenty to see in this show, here are a few bodies of work worth seeking out:

Pinar Yolaçan’s portraits of Afro-Brazilian women were the stand out images of the show for me. Severe and powerful-looking matriarchal women are adorned in heavy velvets and thick fabrics, and embellished by gelatinous necklasses and collars of animal innards and glossy organs. (Untitled (Maria), 2007, at right, middle.) The effect is simultaneously mezmerizing and revolting, with a slice of voodoo unease. Set at the top of the stairs, the installation forces you to see the set of portraits both on your way in and on your way out, and they grip your attention with memorable weirdness.

Olga Chernysheva’s large scale black and white head shot images of Moscow metro workers are much more subtle. Bored and idle men and women in offical hats and uniforms gaze vacantly outside the frames of the pictures, presumably watching video monitors. A heavy weight of monotony and dullness engulfs everything around them. I found these works unusually captivating; the wide open eyes of the watchers contrast bitingly with the mind numbing drudgery of sitting in an ill fitting, throwback outfit and watching surveillance video all day long.

Mickalene Thomas’ funky 1970s Blaxploitation scenes are full of regal women lounging on couches, surrounded by animal prints and clashing patterns. (Portrait of Qusuquzah, 2008, at right, bottom.) These large color portraits have both an over-the-top eye-catching fabulousness and a deeper undercurrent of defiance.

Thorsten Brinkmann’s installation of found objects is the perfect setting for his puzzling portraits. His sitters are dressed in odd assortments of bizarre materials (a vase over the head, lampshades, flower pots, cast off clothing, furs and crocheted capes) and staged in formal poses that recall the traditions of European art history. I liked their seeming unwillingness to divulge their secrets.

And finally, Cindy Sherman’s wild send-ups of fashionistas are refreshingly on target. (Untitiled, 2007-2008, at right, top). The images include several versions of herself, in various riffs on hair, sunglasses and clothing, all vamping for the camera with unadulterated glee. Like her most recent work of older society women, the satire in these works is spot on.

I’m not sure that a show like this one can ever hope to definitively answer questions about how we define ourselves or how we express individuality via fashion. At best, it can provide a snapshot of some of the areas of inquiry contemporary photographers are exploring and seek patterns and connections that resolve into some larger picture of our times. Overall, this is an exhibit well worth wading into, an expansive sampler with a better than average proportion of thought-provoking work.

Collector’s POV: Since our collection has no portraits in it, this show wasn’t a great fit for images that we would be enticed to add any time soon. That said, we were particularly impressed by the work of the handful of photographers mentioned specifically above. Gallery representatives for those photographers are:

  • Thorsten Brinkmann: Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco (here)
  • Olga Chernysheva: Foxy Production in New York (here)
  • Cindy Sherman: Metro Pictures in New York (here)
  • Mickalene Thomas: Lehmann Maupin in New York (here)
  • Pinar Yolaçan: was Rivington Arms in New York (here); not sure who it is now

Rating: ** (two stars) VERY GOOD (rating system described here).

Transit Hub:

  • Reviews: NY Times (here), Artinfo (here)
  • Mickalene Thomas: artist site (here)
  • Olga Chernysheva: Frieze magazine review (here)
  • Pinar Yolaçan: NY Times feature (here)
  • Thorsten Brinkmann: Goethe Institut feature (here)

Dress Codes: The Third ICP Triennial of Photography and Video
Through January 17th

International Center of Photography
1133 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036

Roy DeCarava Dies

Roy DeCarava, the pioneering and influential African-American photographer, died on Tuesday at the age of 89. DeCarava made dark, shadowy images of the day-to-day lives of Harlem residents and local jazz musicians at work. His photographs were in many ways the first to accurately capture authentic, warm moments from within the community, in contrast to the more sociological studies that had been taken of the neighborhood and its culture by outsiders. (Sun and Shade, 1952, at right, via Corcoran)

After a decent amount of searching, I have been unable to locate the gallery that consistently represents DeCarava’s work/estate, so please add it to the comments if you know the answer.

DeCarava’s luscious prints (full of deep, tactile blacks and dark greys) have only been intermittently available in the secondary markets in the past five years; prices have ranged between $5000 and $25000. DeCarava’s book The Sweet Flypaper of Life, 1955, (a collaboration with Langston Hughes) has also become highly collectible.

Obituaries: NY Times (here), LA Times (here), Lens (here), Looking Around (here)

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