NEW YORK, NY.- The 34th annual AIPAD Photography Show New York garnered high praise from collectors, curators, critics, and exhibitors during its four day run April 10-13, 2014, at the Park Avenue Armory. Presented by The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD), the Show is the longest-running and foremost exhibition of fine art photography. Attendance was strong at 11,500, matching last year’s record.

Eighty-four of the world’s leading fine art photography galleries presented a wide range of museum-quality work. The show featured contemporary, modern, and 19th-century photographs, as well as photo-based art, video, and new media.

A large and enthusiastic crowd attended the opening night gala on April 9, which benefited Her Justice, an organization that provides free legal services to low-income women. AIPAD’s first-ever young collectors night on April 11 was also a marked success. The VIP program drew rave reviews and offered private access to talks by leading curators and the homes of important collectors.

A wide range of notables from the worlds of art, entertainment, fashion, finance, and the media attended AIPAD including Parker Posey, Daniel Boulud, Beth DeWoody, Elliott Erwitt, Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylor, Jill Freedman, Alison Rossiter, Jeff Mermelstein, Mary Ellen Mark, K8 Hardy, Cig Harvey, Matthew Pillsbury, Neal Slavin, David Maisel, Stephen Wilkes, George Tice, Richard Renaldi, Elinor Carucci, Olivo Barbieri, Andy Freeberg, Sunil Gupta, Loring Knoblauch, Gary and Sarah Wolkowitz, Joe Baio, Celso Gonzalez-Falla, Chris Boot, Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell, Michael and Elizabeth Marcus, Artur Walther, Marjorie Ornston, Vicki Goldberg, Vince Aletti, Philip Gefter, Lyle Rexer, Max Kozloff, Cheryl Dunn, Christiane Fischer, Malcolm Daniel, Anne Tucker, Phyllis Galembo, Corey Keller, Nissan Perez, Johan Sjöström, Sandra Phillips, Alison Nordstrom, Michelle Dunn Marsh, Lisa Hostetler, Katherine Bussard, and Jeff Rosenheim.

AIPAD also drew a wide range of curators from such institutions as The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; International Center for Photography, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Morgan Library and Museum, New York; The Philadelphia Museum of Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; The Art Institute of Chicago; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha; George Eastman House, Rochester, NY; Museum of Fine Arts Houston; Cleveland Museum of Art; Cincinnati Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian, Washington, DC; New Orleans Museum of Art; Loeb Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY; Katonah Museum of Art; National Gallery of Canada, Ontario; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; and Tate Modern, London.

Vibrant discussions on photography were held with leading curators, artists, and collectors on April 12 including THE DECIDERS: CURATING PHOTOGRAPHY, LGBTQ/PHOTOGRAPHY, PERSPECTIVES ON COLLECTING and FILM: EVERYBODY STREET.

“Sales were robust, and collectors told me that the show looked fantastic,” noted Catherine Edelman, President, AIPAD, and Director, Catherine Edelman Gallery. “With unmatched expertise and an extraordinarily warm feeling of community, AIPAD consistently presents a viewpoint not found at any other show.”

SALES HIGHLIGHTS
“It was a stunning exhibition of a wide range of photography, and the collectors were passionate, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable,” said Kraige Block, Throckmorton Fine Art, New York, who sold more than 20 works including a platinum print by Tina Modotti.

Robert Mann Gallery, New York, sold 20 works by Jeff Brouws, Julie Blackmon, Maroesjka Lavigne, and others, and commented on the great energy at the show. Terry Etherton, Etherton Gallery, Tucson, said the show was excellent and sold 22 works including a Frederick Sommer print for $40,000.

“The show has never looked better,” said Henry Feldstein of Henry Feldstein, Forest Hills, NY, who sold at least 20 prints by Weegee. “The look of the show was consistently high level. We saw many local collectors who are precious clients as well as people from across the U.S. and Europe,” said Richard Moore of Richard Moore Photographs, Oakland, CA, who sold 33 photographs including images by Ansel Adams.

Lindsey Stewart at Bernard Quaritch, Ltd., London, said the show was “More elegant than ever and there was a good number and quality of visitors including experienced private collectors, and directors and senior curators from major U.S. institutions.”

“The layout and design of the show was great, and the show drew a large attendance and a sophisticated audience, said Michael Dawson of Michael Dawson Gallery, Los Angeles.

“The show was very positive,” noted Hans Kraus of Hans P. Kraus, Jr., Inc. who sold albumen prints by Eugène Atget for $155,000 and Charles Marville for $30,000.

”It was an outstanding fair for us,” noted Bert Finger, PDNB Gallery, Dallas, who sold work by Elliott Erwitt, Stephen Shore, Nickolas Muray, and Earlie Hudnall Jr.

Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago, sold work by Harry Callahan from $20,000 to $50,000.

Chuck Isaacs of Charles Isaacs Photographs, Inc., New York, said he sold work by Gustave Le Gray, Charles Marville, Eugène Atget, and Berenice Abbott. Galerie Johannes Faber, Vienna, sold a 1933 portrait of Meret Oppenheim by Man Ray for $45,000. Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta, sold more than 20 prints by Vee Speers and work by Mona Kuhn as well as a number of others.

Martin Weinstein, Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis, said, “We had a very good fair and sold work by Annie Leibovitz, Vera Lutter, Alec Soth, and Gordon Parks.” Bryce Wolkowitz, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, sold work by Edward Burtynsky and several other artists and noted, “The show was great.”

EXHIBITORS
The AIPAD Photography Show New York 2014 featured galleries from across the U.S. and around the world, including Europe, Asia, and South America. New exhibitors this year included Feroz Galerie, Bonn, Germany; Jenkins Johnson Gallery, New York and San Francisco; Paci Contemporary, Brescia, Italy; Grundemark Nilsson Gallery-Swedish Photography, Berlin and Stockholm; Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo; and Von Lintel Gallery, Los Angeles.