Hooray For Hollywood - Photo LA opens to strong sales
So the early reports are in... 2007 Photo LA opened to big crowds and strong sales.
Our MAO spy's were everywhere.. plus many happy dealers have reported in to our news room, that they already completely covered their total fair costs, just in the first few hours of the Photo LA Preview.
So any rumor's that the Art Photography market maybe about to crash cooling off, show no sign of credibility.
Additionally, last night in the nasty wet cold, we at MAO attended the packed ICP Directors Opening..
Judging by : the insane crowd, the empty bar, the line of 100+ people waiting for coat check, plus when you consider that anyone who's anybody in the art photography world was in LA, we can say interest in Art Photography could never be stronger. WhoooHooo...!! Let the good times roll!
FYI.. The NY Times already has a review by Michael Kimmelman of the new ICP shows...Henri Cartier-Bresson's Scrapbook, and their Martin Munkacsi shows are both wonderful. Congrats to ICP! We even found their cute Louise Brooks Show fun and entertaining.
Now if they'd only not let so many damn people in, so we at MAO could enjoy these great ICP shows with some peace and quiet! These 3 shows are up at ICP till April 29th.
I was one of those early Photo LA gazers. It's a pretty good show, not great,...and indeed quite crowded. No new discoveries, but lots of classics -- many of the artists in that Berman Collection show at the Getty (Shore, Meyerowitz, etc). Alec Soth's "Niagara" display at Weinstein Gallery was clearly the best in show. Other good work, too, at Yossi Milo (can Loretta Lux be any better?), Paul Kopeikin, Yancey Richardson. Ace Gallery was like a storage room full of Melanie Pullen and Martin SChoeller -- terrible way to display five-figure art. On a strange note, it felt like nearly every gallery had Mona Kuhn on display. Many had the same print. Oversaturation and not good for her I'd say. Lots of new/rare book dealers showing their wares. DAP, of course, ruled! AND they were offering 20% everything during the fair. If I had to pick the most memorable thing, I'd say the Pieter Hugo's at fair organizer Stephen Cohen's were interesting -- and at a decent price to boot.
Posted by: Not 4 Publication | January 19, 2007 at 07:00 PM
I went on Saturday and caught the Mona Kuhn and Alec Soth lectures. It was MOBBED! Line to get in was a block long. Kuhn is pretty darn sexy as are her photos. Soth was thoughtful and quite funny -- he was wearing a "Fear No Art" cap -- and had good stories about his technique and some of his more iconic works. He's as interesting as his blog. Kind of reminded me a bit of Matthew Broderick (should they ever make a "Sleeping by the Mississippi" movie). I enjoyed the fair, especially the works from Stephen Shore, Todd Hido, and that Chinese guy at Yossi Milo -- can't remember his name. Saw lots of other known photogs hanging around, and museum curators. And of course the weather was great...mid 60s. Really nice job. Unfortunately I couldn't afford anything except a signed Kuhn book.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 21, 2007 at 01:49 PM
Hi Anonymous..
Thanks for the recap.. I wish I was there with you.
I think "That Chinese Guy" at Yossi, I'd guess its the landscape photo's of Sze Tsung Leong. Yossi was showing his work in Pulse Miami this year.
Here's a link to his work :
http://www.yossimilogallery.com/artists/sze_tsun_leon/
Posted by: Mike | January 21, 2007 at 06:30 PM
Photo LA so many pictures so little time ... we went to see the Where We Live Photographs of America from the Berman Collection at the Getty a very large and unweildly number of images a personal surprise for me was the images Camilo Jose Vergara something old yet new.tThe work reminded me of not seeing the tree for the forest.
a lot of the warhorses were there but then for me CJV.Another Kool place to visit reservations necessary is the Frederik R. Weisman Art Foundation very of its' time and still growing.The joy of seeing how people live with their art is amazing Mr.Weisman must have much fun.Do not forget reservation are very necessary but you be treated very special.I return also to my favorite hotel bar at the Tower still elegant and class.There was a gallery at Photo LA
that tried to present large scale work in a new way that was faux-casual with 10 foot photographs spilling out from 2 booths and blocking the aisles interesting but thoughtless..which made me forget what they were showing.Before I go I would mention also one of my favorite artist over featured at Photo LA Pieter Hugo showing at Stephen Cohen Gallery this month Pieter was one of 50 artists in the Aperture regeneration show and catalog. Striking off putting yet in a way you look aside and you look back.Also I visited the David Gallery opening in Culver City to see the Anderson + Low , artists from England in a type of retrospective but the emphasis was on the latest work from pure abstraction profound landscapes and building studies there was a lot to see .Overall Los angeles was good to me I didn't do the screen test ... but I learn why I love New York it is only 2 miles wide 14 miles long and the best, even if there are problems subway system in the world and you can walk too .hi er
Posted by: jonelu | January 23, 2007 at 11:30 PM