Friday, November 30, 2012

John Blakemore: The Master Printer

"I can't believe they're photographs", "Stunning", "Truly masterful", "Incredible show", are statements resonating through the gallery right now. It's such a pleasure to be exhibiting these masterfully-crafted photographs, and to witness our visitors' recognition of the beauty, accomplishment and importance of these wonderful photographic gems.

"The exploration and control of process is fundamental to serious expression in any medium. The print is the interface between photographer and viewer, the carrier of meaning, of emotional resonance. The exploration of the tonal scale has been fundamental to my practice since the mid 1970's, the tonal scale of the print parallels the musical scale, a print may be 'played' pianissimo or fortissimo, the tonal structures of a print provide a first level of connotation to which a viewer responds prior to an investigation of content. I am intrigued by the limits of tonality, in extending what a print, a photograph might look like". —John Blakemore

Amergen–The Garden In Winter (1991) ©John Blakemore

Amergen–The Garden In Winter (1991) DETAIL ©John Blakemore

Incredibly, John Blakemore's photographs are very affordable. As with many of his generation, he did not edition his work until recently. Although highly regarded in Britain, and despite having his work held in many renowned collections such as the Victoria & Albert Museum of Art, Bibliothéque Nationale and Los Angeles County Musuem, his work has never flooded the market – so, in reality, you won't find very many prints of each photograph.

John Blakemore has now 'retired' many of his negatives, making the vintage prints in our exhibition the last prints being offered on the primary market.


Monday, November 26, 2012

Books for Christmas


We have a small collection of signed photo books in the gallery, featuring the work of our artists. The inventory includes both trade and special editions. If you admire the photographs of our artists, but perhaps are not quite in the market for purchasing their work just now, then we highly recommend their books as an alternative. They also make great gifts!

Book collecting itself is on the rise. It's a great way to discover work by emerging photographers and, with the explosion of self-publishing and independent publishing companies, there's a lot to choose from.

If you're interested in the investment potential, photo books are proving to be a good choice. The design and production values are often very high. As such, the print runs are quite small and they become out of print quite quickly.

For example: Motherland by our gallery artist, Simon Roberts,  published by Chris Boot Ltd., was sold for $40 in 2007. It's now out of print and difficult to find. A quick online search, found the book listed for anywhere between $400 - $800. Equivalent to a 1000%+ increase in value.

Below is a selection of photo books that we recommend. Additional information and the full list of books that we have can be viewed here.

WE ENGLISH — Simon Roberts
Special Edition Box Set
Limited Edition: 100 copies (10 AP's)
Price: $350 USD 


INSIDE THE VIEW – Helen Sear
Print Run: 800
Price: $50 USD



BIRD WATCHING — Paula McCartney
Limited Edition: 40 copies
Hand-made by the artist. Price: $800 

JOHN BLAKEMORE: 1955-2010
Special Edition Box Set
Limited Edition: 100 copies
Price: $350 USD

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Small Business Saturday



 

A few days ago, we learned of Small Business Saturday – an American Shopping Holiday that encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local.  That's us ... well, we have an international reach, and we represent a roster of artists from all over the world, but we're small (two owner operators) and young (five years old). Visit, email or 'phone our gallery, and you'll always reach one of the owners.

For our New York patrons; if you're out and about this holiday season looking for unique gifts for friends and family, please consider the gift of art.

We're on hand to provide a personable and individualized service. If you're new to buying contemporary photography, we're very happy to share our expertise and help you make choices that are right for you.

Friday, November 9, 2012

AIPAD 2013 – Save The Date


April 4 – 7, 2013 – Park Avenue Armory
Opening Night Gala, April 3: benefiting inMotion


We're very pleased to be attending the AIPAD Photography Show, and look forward to sharing more information, about our exhibition at the show, closer to the time.

Please mark your calendars!