Via artdaily.org
NEW YORK, N.Y.- Attendance was up at The AIPAD Photography Show New York at the Park Avenue Armory, which closed on Sunday, March 20, with strong sales and rave reviews. The Show, presented by The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD), was held on four sunny days from Thursday, March 17, through Sunday, March 20, 2011. More than 10,000 visitors (up from 8,300 last year) viewed work -including contemporary, modern and 19th century photographs, as well as photo-based art, video and new media -- from 79 of the world’s leading fine art photography galleries.
The 31st edition of The AIPAD Photography Show New York opened with a well- attended Gala Preview on Wednesday, March 16 to benefit the John Szarkowski Fund, an endowment for photography acquisitions at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The Gala and the Show drew a glittering crowd that included celebrities, major art collectors and leaders from the worlds of art, business, entertainment, fashion, and the media.
Among the notable attendees of the show were Jessica Lange, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, Matt Dillon, Fisher Stevens, Anderson Cooper, Joel Coen, Vicente Wolf, Alec Soth, George Tice, Meghan Boody, Shirin Neshat, Larry Fink, Elliot Erwitt, Brian Wallis, Simon Baker, Roxana Marcoci, Britt Salvesen, Matthew S. Witkovsky, Christiane Fischer, Marie Brenner, Anthony Haden-Guest, Bruce Davidson, Beth DeWoody, Anthony d'Offay, Dan Greenberg, Richard Prince, Gerhard Steidl, Edward Robinson, Mark Seliger, Bill Cunningham, Vicki Goldberg, Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzales-Falla,Robert and Richard Menschel, and Larry Gagosian.
In addition to The Museum of Modern Art, New York, many other major institutions were represented among those attending including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; International Center for Photography, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; The Art Institute of Chicago; George Eastman House, Rochester, NY; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, Providence; Milwaukee Art Museum; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; Saint Louis Art Museum; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Corcoran Gallery of Art and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; National Gallery of Canada, Ontario; and Tate, London.
Show Highlights
“The attendance was off the charts and the sales were great,” raved Robert Mann, Robert Mann Gallery, New York. “I think it’s the best show I ever had,” noted Keith de Lellis, Keith de Lellis Gallery, New York, echoing a number of other dealers. “The quality of the fair is up because people are taking it more seriously,” explained Michael Hoppen, Michael Hoppen Gallery, London.
Bryce Wolkowitz, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York, noted that AIPAD was “over the top. We did even better than we did at the pier show the week before last. We met new European and international collectors, and sold 12 works including a new media work by Jim Campbell for $75,000, and “lighting books” by Airan Kang for $5,000.” HackelBury Fine Art Limited, London, sold multiple works by Doug and Mike Starn in the $20,000 to $80,000 range.
Robert Klein, Robert Klein Gallery, Boston, said, “It was the best ever. There was a good balanced cross section of curators, old collectors and new buyers.” He sold silver prints by Irving Penn for $95,000 and Francesca Woodman for $50,000. “We did better than ever,” noted Roland Baron, Gallery 19/21, Guilford, CT. “Collectors were much more open to buying. Either the crisis is over are people are saying the heck with the crisis. We sold works by Mario Giacomello, of which we’re known to have a large stock.” Monroe Gallery of Photography, Santa Fe, sold a number of silver prints by Bill Eppridge and others top photographers depicting civil rights issues. The gallery also found success with photographs by Stephen Wilkes for $16,500 to $18,500.
“It was an incredible show,” said Bruce Silverstein, Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York. “We are thrilled. We sold work by Frederick Sommer, Man Ray, Henry Moore, and Diane Arbus.” Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis, reported that it was an excellent show and that their one-person exhibition of work by Alec Soth did very well. Richard Moore, Richard Moore Photographs, Oakland, CA, said it was a great show and sold more than 14 works ranging from $1,800 to $7,500, including a Walker Evans to an institution.
Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne, Germany, reported interest from museums and sold more than 10 works by Japanese artists including two prints by Lieko Shiga, of which 100 percent of the profits will be donated to a Japanese charity to aid victims of the earthquake and tsunami.
Deborah Bell, Deborah Bell Photographs, New York, felt AIPAD presented the best- looking show in memory and sold work by Andy Warhol, Marcel Broodthaers, and G. P. Fieret, ranging from $6,000 to $15,000. “There were serious collectors who have been active since the 1970s, as well as museum curators, consultants and new clients in their 30s and 40s.”
“We’re pleased with the buying atmosphere in New York,” noted Missy Finger from PDNB Gallery, Dallas. “It seems the city is out of the recession.” The gallery sold work by Esteban Pastorino Diaz, Peter Brown and John Albok. Verve Gallery of Photography, Santa Fe, noted that collectors were “knowledgeable and well rounded,” and sold more than 35 photographs. Winter Works on Paper, Brooklyn, sold nearly 70 works ranging from $100 to $2,500, including work to five museums.
“Exhibitors had high expectations for the AIPAD Show this year, which were all met,” noted Stephen Bulger, Stephen Bulger, President, AIPAD, and President, Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto. “It was one of the largest and most enthusiastic gatherings of serious photography collectors in recent memory. Attendance was particularly strong with first time buyers, as well as established collectors. People are already buzzing with anticipation for 2012.”
