Attendance strong, sales results mixed at year's first photography expo - Show news

LOS ANGELES--Just as the New Hampshire primaries are a harbinger for presidential elections, so too is photo l.a. for the climate of the photography market. The largest photographic exposition in the West and the first major photography festival since the U.S. has officially slipped into an economic recession is a herald for the season's photography shows.

Held Jan. 17 to 20 in Santa Monica, the 11th-annual outing of photo l.a. featured some 58 galleries and photography dealers (down from an anticipated 75), as well as book publishers and nonprofit photography organizations that presenting thousands of photographs and lens-based materials, from early daguerreotypes and Modernist photograms to contemporary works.

Works by Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ruth Barnhard, Edward Curtis, Lynn Geesaman, Michael Kenna, Man Ray and Josef Sudek were among the tried-and-true photographs on display, with a particular emphasis this year on images by Manuel Alvarez Bravo, the subject of a current Getty Center Museum exhibition. And many noted photographers were in attendance, including Helmut Newton and Jeff Dumas.

From the opening reception benefiting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Photography Department to the closing bell, attendance was strong, reaching 6,000 before fair's end. And, as is usual for this fair, serious amateurs stood elbow to elbow with seasoned collectors and curators in the booths, thumbing through bins of photographs and vying for dealers' attention. "There's always been a good gate at this fair," observed San Francisco dealer Paul M. Hertzmann. But by mid-fair, he noted, it was still unclear if the large crowds were buyers or just enthusiasts. Conversely, Yancey Richardson Gallery of New York sold several framed pieces right off its booth walls and did especially well once again with Masatomo Kuriya's brilliantly colored floral images and Lynn Geesaman's large, ethereal landscapes.

Burt Finger, owner of Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery in Dallas, acknowledged that his Texas home base is undergoing economic travails, fueled in part by the Enron collapse. "But I don't see any signs of a recession here," he said. "People are briskly buying. It makes me feel that the photography market is strong."

But Alex Klotz, co-owner of New York-based Klotz/Sirmon Gallery, disagreed. "There's no way that all the news lately is not affecting this fair. Last year at photo l.a., in the same booth position, we did four times the business. It's not for lack of enthusiasm on the part of collectors. They are seriously looking at the work we brought. But last year, people were buying right and left, all impulse buys. This year, the enthusiasm is mitigated by a lack of desire to write a check, not knowing what the future will bring."

The mixed sales results are a consequence, no doubt, of the uncertain California economy. Although the U.S. economy is faltering, a still-buoyant local real estate market and strong home values have shielded much of southern California from the recession, though not job losses, say local economists. Many people have rushed to refinance their home loans and tap into their home equity for cash. That home equity, according to Fred Furlong, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, "has translated into spending we didn't see in the last downturn."

Many of the dealers at photo l.a., hoping to benefit from that spending, introduced new faces at this year's fair. Fair organizer Stephen Cohen, for example, showcased National Geographic photographer Gerd Ludwig at a solo exhibition in Cohen's nearby eponymous gallery. He also presented a lecture by Ludwig during the event. In his booth, Cohen also introduced Enrique de la Uz, a Cuban photographer, and Andre de Dienes. "Both are new to photo l.a.," said Cohen. "De Dienes' early Marilyn portraits were already popular [and sell for $4,000 to $5,000], but his amazing work from Harlem and Mississippi had never been seen before."

Finger, of Photographs Do Not Bend, profiled photographer Bohnchang Koo and especially promoted works by Chema Madoz, an artist from Spain who constructs surrealistic objects and still lifes, then photographs them. Madoz's images sell in a range of $1,200 to $2,000. "It's important to use photo shows to introduce new artists," he added. "You get a big crowd of people looking at the work. It's a great opportunity to expose the work to people you may not otherwise reach."

For his part, Hertzmann brought a group of rock`n roll pictures from the collection of the late Jon Goodman, former art manager for Rolling Stone magazine. In addition, along with his display of fine vintage photographs from well-known lensmen like Harry Callahan, Edward Weston and William Dassonville, Hertzmann brought works by several "unknown central Europeans," including Bohumil Stasny and Alajos Martsa. "We've always attempted to buy pictures we like--we can't show the same thing year after year, or the same thing as everyone else. We're always trying to broaden our reach," he said.

Klotz/Sirmon Gallery introduced several emerging photographic artists to photo l.a. as well as a well-established Czech photographer, Pavel Banka. "He's probably the best-known living photographer in Czechoslovakia, and LACMA has his work in their collection," observed Klotz. "There's been a very good reception for him here in California." On view at photo l.a. was Banka's "Infinity" landscape series of gelatin prints, which use long exposures to explore how nature changes and responds to wind, weather and light.

Candace Perich, a photography dealer from Katonah, N.Y., also brought a mix of emerging and established artists to the fair. Along with works by Keith Carter and O. Winston Link, Perich showcased Polish emigre Bogdan Konopka ("a real photographer's photographer," she noted, "who does only 4- by-5-inch contact prints") and, for the first time, Romanian artist Ion Zupca. And Perich raved about her "dear darling" Pentti Sammallahti. "My collection of his work is very in depth. I probably have 80 of his images," said Perich. "There is a theme in his work of having a pure spirit and a sense of innocence."

Also new to photo l.a. were Zone-IV, a group of British photographers who collaboratively exhibit in London. "We wanted to see what the reaction would be to our work in the States," said photographer Seamus Ryan, who creates near-translucent photographs of flowers, shells and other bits of nature. Luckily, "the reaction has been very positive," and at least one collector was contemplating a purchase.

For new photography collectors and seasoned pros alike, photo l.a. is not just a visual feast--it can reach sensory overload. "Overall, for a beginner like me, there was just too much to take in," commented Bob Geddes, who was attending his first photography fair. Geddes, a Culver City-based marketing consultant, had purchased a few vintage posters in the past, but never fine art photography. "I saw a huge amount of material that I liked, but my photographic eye is not developed enough to distinguish between the works."

Nonetheless, Geddes ended up purchasing a period Willy Ronis photograph for $1,850 from the Peter Fetterman Gallery. "I had thought previously about buying this particular photograph," said Geddes. "I first saw it 25 years ago as a picture that had been cut out of a magazine and framed at a friend's home. I never had enough money to buy the original, and now I do." Fetterman converted Geddes from an admirer to an art buyer by guaranteeing to repurchase the image if Geddes wanted to sell it back. "Of course, that will never happen, since I've always wanted this photograph. But for the first-time neophyte, this [guarantee] meant I was making a nearly no-risk spending decision"

Overall, show organizer Cohen was "very happy." Although a few exhibitors dropped out due to health, economic and/or post-Sept. 11-related stresses, he said, many other non-exhibiting photography dealers from across the country were visitors to this year's photo l.a., scoping it out for future participation and buying material to put in their own galleries. He added, "all in all, when you consider what is happening in the economy, I think sales were very good. You can't compare it to last year, when the economy was booming. I was ready not to sell anything at all, and I did fairly well and did take some orders. And the attendance was just amazing".

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