I thoroughly enjoyed The Photography Show on its last day, a beautiful, sunny Sunday in Midtown Manhattan. The show is the perfect size—not overwhelming—with 77 exhibitors from around the globe who bring along a wonderful variety of genres to behold. Here, you can witness in person those historical photos from the famous, like Elliot Erwitt’s New York City, the shot of legs + chihauhua (Augusta Edwards Fine Art/London), and get to know the galleries that deal with them. Plus, see new and innovative photographic interpretations that you could never have imagined. For anyone considering an investment in photography, this show is the one to get you started and hooked.
One of my favorite trends at the show were hyper-focused photos, that were made as a compilation. The detail is just astounding, especially evident in the large sized prints. It was mesmerizing to look at, and many attendees were stopped in their tracks upon coming across the pieces. Mark S. Kornbluth’s Richard Rodgers (Cavalier Galleries/New York/Greenwich/Nantucket/Palm Beach) was shot during Covid’s closure of the theater district in Manhattan, and supplied a pedestrian-free look at the the theaters themselves, at that moment in time. Stephen Wilkes shot Flamingos, in Lake Bogoria, Kenya, 48 x 90 inches (Holden Luntz Gallery/Palm Beach, FL). His series Day to Night captures the transition from day to night in one spectacular image (below).
This photo is a silver gelatin contact print, meaning an enlarged negative sits one-to-one on paper, producing incredible detail. From Gallery Two Seventy, in Westwood, NJ by the artist Michael Massaia. 12-Drop the Sun, 2022, 40 x 60 inches. The mood is eerie, feels almost Victorian Age, to me, I couldn’t stop looking at it.
These two were from the Von Lintel Gallery/Santa Monica, CA. Left: Shroud of Stars, 2021 by Melanie Willhide. Right: Christiane Feser’s Kugeln 11, 2017 mixes photography and 3D elements.
Claire Rosen does a series of “feasts” in her Fantastical Feasts, showcases different animals, this one, The Flamingo Feast, 2017, 51 x 102 inches (Koslov Larson/Houston, TX). This sat next to the mini cafe, so you can munch and view art simultaneously, along with the flamingos.
Saori on a Sea Plane Wing No. 2, Dominican Republic, 2010, 61.5 inches square, from the Staley-Wise Gallery/NYC.
In addition to the exhibition, the show featured AIPAD Talks, a sellout series of educational sessions from experts in the field, including The New Yorker’s Photography Editor Vince Aletti and Richard Grosbard, who is the director of fashion photographer Deborah Turbeville’s archive. At the show you could witness her collection of Polaroids collected throughout the years, complete with masking tape, seen in the photo above.
To add to the fun, at the second evening of the show A Night of Photography featured an impressive roster of in-booth artists and book signings, allowing attendees to get close and personal with the photographers. Artists also appeared with their galleries throughout the exhibition, so it’s the chance to meet up with your favorite photographer.
The show was an arm of AIPAD: The Association of International Photography Art Dealers. Since 1979, they’ve encouraged public support of fine art photography through education and communication. AIPAD has become a unifying force in the field of photography and is dedicated to creating and maintaining ethical standards in the business of exhibiting, buying, and selling photographs as art. Enjoy these images from the show to see the array on display.
The Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue (betw 66th/67th St), April 25-28, 2024
