Lectures

For Appraisers, Curators, Museum registrars, Insurers and fiduciary agents. Lecture offered with the accompanying book: Guide to Appraising Photographs.

From the earliest auctions to Photo Paris, an overview of how the market developed and who were the drivers behind it.

John Szarkowski once said that photographs were either windows or mirrors. This lecture highlights the mirror of Frank in all his photographs.

In the X-Files episode titled Tithonous “a man with a camera follows a woman from an elevator through a corridor to another elevator, where all the people appear to be gray. He gets off on a floor before the woman and runs down the stairs. Lights flicker and the elevator cable snaps. As the man reaches the basement, the cab crashes and its door spills open to reveal the woman's wrist, covered with blood. The man begins to snap photos.” The fictional photographer is based on Weegee. There are dozens of television shows and movies that use the life of a photographer as the main subject or a sub plot.

Blow Up, Memento, One Hour Photo, Road to Perdition, Secrets and Lies, Blade Runner et al. are key films that highlight the use of photography in the main plot. Bladerunner uses photographs to imprint memories in its replicants to make them “seem” human, where Memento documents memories of the protagonist, so that he can function. Dozens of films weave still photography into the structure of the story.

To buy or not to buy? That is the question. How does one “invest” in a photograph? This lecture gives tips on how to critique a photograph in the context of the market.

From Julia Margaret Cameron to Cindy Sherman, women have been involved with the history of the medium since its advent: as photographers, curators, historians, gallerists, dealers, and auctioneers.

John Szarkowski once said, ‘Paul Strand wanted to make a photograph as strong as a cement wall –and he did.’ Stand was deeply influenced by the frescos of Piero della Francesca, and this fascination is what drove his imagery.