At Sotheby's for the Auction of the Polaroid Collection

At Sotheby's. Photo by WOTBA.

Over the past several days, visitors have been filing into Sotheby's New York on York Avenue and 72nd Street to look over the collection of stunning photographs of the former Polaroid Company, over a thousand images from the likes of Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, William Wegman, Chuck Close, Andy Warhol, Robert Frank, David Hockney, and others, artworks forced into auction by a bankruptcy judge in Minnesota so the company could pay its creditors. Visiting the works on display provided a rare chance to see some of the finest photographic work of the twentieth century and often at a rare scale, with the knowledge that as soon as the final auction gavel comes down later today, these works will likely be dispersed to far-flung locales. Many will disappear into private hands, and we may never see them again.

The sale at Sotheby's, an unusual bankruptcy proceeding for the auction house, has not been without controversy. Several artists and photo historians have expressed alarm over the breaking up of such a formidable collection, and efforts by several museums to acquire the collection broke down in negotiations. Second, and related, several artists who had participated in the company's Artist Support Program, one in which they received film, equipment, and technical support from the company over the years, have stated that they understood that the collection would remain together and stay accessible. (See A. D. Coleman's blog, Photocritic International, for details and updates on these matters. Coleman has been a leading critic.) In this video from The Deal Magazine, Sotheby's Denise Bethel, Head of Photographs, and Christopher Mahoney, Senior Specialist in the Photographs department, explain the circumstances of the auction and share their thoughts about the sale.

Lot 51
Andy Warhol
Farrah Fawcett
Unique Polacolor Type 108 print
Est. $5/7,000
Sotheby’s New York
Photographs from The Polaroid Collection
June 21-22, 2010
Courtesy: Sotheby's New York.

Now underway at Sotheby's, with one session yesterday and three today, the Polaroid auction nearly achieved its estimated value on the first day. A rare work by Ansel Adams, "Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park," one of several monumental mural-sized prints by the photographer at the auction, sold for $722,000, much higher than the expected $500,000. Adams, a friend of Polaroid founder Edwin Land, helped develop the non-Polaroids for the company's Library Collection, buying works by Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, Harry Callahan, and others. Also at auction are several works by Andy Warhol, a famous user of Polaroid cameras. According to Art Daily's story on the first session, the auction record for an Warhol photograph was broken twice, with the sale of the funny large close-up, "Self-portrait (Grimace)" and then "Self-Portrait (Eyes Closed)." According to same report, the latter Warhol served as the object of a fierce bidding war, with several bidders pushing up the final price to $254,500, considerably higher than Sotheby's high-end estimate of $15,000. So, in terms of money, these works are highly valued and will surely boost the market for the represented photographers.

While walking around six floors of Sotheby's in advance of the auction, I certainly placed my own value on many of the photographs, though not in monetary terms. The large murals by Ansel Adams, images I could acquire in much cheaper poster editions but with the loss of considerable quality and aura, knocked me over with their insight into the preternatural beauty of the American West. It’s all about the sensitivity of light, tones, the Zone, fused with visions of sky, water, trees, rocks, and mountains. For a time, I was no longer on the Upper East Side of Manhattan but in a valley looking at the moonrise in New Mexico or dipping my toes in a clear stream in Yosemite. At another moment, as a dog person and a William Wegman fan, I had the treat of seeing more fetching (sorry) Wegman Weimeraners than I had ever seen assembled in my life. In 1978 Polaroid invited Wegman to try out their 20-by-24 inch camera, an instant camera but at a new unprecedented scale. His subsequent work made him and his canine companion Man Ray photo rock stars.

Lot 411
Ansel Adams
Half Dome, Merced River
Mural sized
Est. $30/50,000
Sotheby’s New York
Photographs from The Polaroid Collection
June 21-22, 2010
Courtesy: Sotheby's New York.

Lot 47
William Wegman
‘Game Preserve’
Unique large-format Polaroid Polacolor print
Est. $4/6,000
Sotheby’s New York
Photographs from The Polaroid Collection
June 21-22, 2010
Courtesy: Sotheby's New York.

Polaroid's ability to rock and roll appealed to me personally as a young shutterbug. Half way through viewing the collection, I had one of those Proustian flashback moments when my eyes set upon a display of cameras, including the fabulously groovy object known as the Polaroid Swinger, the company's popular camera marketed in the late 1960s. In an instant, so to speak, I remembered the abrupt and startling sound of the machine as it dispensed its print and the smell of the film as the image appeared.

After the first Swinger, I would go through several more Polaroid cameras. A quick survey of my own personal archive turned up dozens of Polaroid prints, still in fairly good condition, with images of my family, friends and pets. As I write this, I'm looking at four instant snapshots of one of my dogs, the one that passed away last year. He was a puppy then, and he looked so cute. MY Polaroid collection is precious and irreplaceable. It’s no joke that it’s recommended in the case of an emergency to stash your book of photographs where you can find it as you flee the door.

Walking Notes: I recommend a visit to Sotheby's New York (1334 York Avenue), especially to see exhibitions of works in the days preceding a particular auction. Catalogues are for sale in a section of the lobby. Sotheby’s Terrace Café, offering light fare and lovely views, is on the 10th floor. The next large events at Sotheby’s New York will come in late September 2010 with high profile sales of Contemporary artworks and American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture. The sale of the Polaroid Collection was a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Images: Many thanks to Sotheby's New York for auction images.

Let's get the jingle for the Polaroid Swinger stuck in our heads all day, shall we? Yes, that's Ali McGraw. This is a camera that says "YES."

"It's more than a camera. It's almost alive."

UPDATE with auction results 06/23/2010: Lot 51 (Farrah Fawcett by Andy Warhol) sold for $43,750; Lot 47 (Wegman) sold for $15,000.

Comments

A New York Spring Calendar: Blooming Times and Seasonal Events

See the UPDATED 2018 CALENDAR HERE . Updated for 2017 . At this time of year, thoughts turn to spring. Let's spring forward to blooming times, the best locations for witnessing spring's beginnings, and springtime events in the big city. While the occasional snow could blow through the city, we're just weeks now from callery pears in bloom and opening day at the ballpark. In The Ramble, Central Park. mid-April Blooming Times • Central Park Conservancy's website lists blooming times within the park. During the month of March we begin to see crocus, daffodils, forsythia, snowdrops, witch-hazel, and hellebores. Species tulips will emerge in several places, but the Shakespeare Garden and Conservatory Garden are particularly good places to catch the beginning of Spring blooms. Central Park near E. 72nd St., saucer magnolia, typically end of March. • Citywide Blooming Calendar from New York City Department of Parks & Recreation April is u

25 Things To Do Near the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

(updated 2016) The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) at 11 W. 53rd Street is near many other New York City attractions, so before or after a trip to the museum, a short walk in any direction could easily take in additional experiences. Drawing a square on a map with the museum at the center, a shape bounded by 58th Street to the north and 48th Street to the south, with 7th Avenue to the west and Park Avenue to the east, proves the point of the area's cultural richness. (A map follows the list below.) While well-known sightseeing stops fall with these boundaries, most notably Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the great swath of famous Fifth Avenue stores, cultural visitors may also want to check out places such as the Austrian Cultural Forum, the 57th Street galleries, the Onassis Cultural Center, and the Municipal Art Society. The image above shows an intriguing glimpse of the tops of two Beaux-Arts buildings through an opening of the wall inside MoMA's scu

Museums in New York Open on Mondays

Please see this post for current announcements of reopenings . Please consult the museum websites for changes in days and hours. UPDATED September 23, 2020 Advance tickets required for many museum reopenings. Please check museum websites for details. • The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) reopened to the public on August 27 , with new hours for the first month, through September 27: from 10:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday to the public; and from 10:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Mondays for MoMA members on ly. Admission will be free to all visitors Tuesday through Sunday, through September 27, made possible by UNIQLO. See this new post on WOTBA for a sense of the experience attending the museum . • New-York Historical Society reopened on August 14 with an outdoor exhibition, "Hope Wanted: New York City Under Quarantine,” in the rear courtyard. The exhibit by activist Kevin Powell and photographer Kay Hickman will highlight how New Yorkers weathered the quarantine

25 Things to Do Near the American Museum of Natural History

After visiting the American Museum of Natural History, explore attractions on the Upper West Side or in Central Park. Visitors to New York often run around from one major tourist site to the next, sometimes from one side of the city to the other, and in the process, exhaust themselves thoroughly. Ambitious itineraries often include something like coffee in the Village in the morning, lunch near MoMA, a couple of hours in the museum, a ride on the Staten Island Ferry in the afternoon, cocktails at the midtown hotel, a quick dinner, and then a Broadway show. It's a wonder people don't pass out at the theater. While sitting on the steps of the American Museum of History, consider exploring the Upper West Side and nearby sites of interest in Central Park. There's a better way to plan a New York trip. Consider grouping attractions together geographically. Several posts on this site address this recommended approach. The Wild West of the Tecumseh Playground Groupin

The High Line and Chelsea Market: A Good Pairing for a Walk

(revised 2017) The advent of spring, with its signs of growth and rebirth, is apparent both on the High Line , where volunteers are cutting away the old growth to reveal fresh blooms, and inside the Chelsea Market, where new tenants are revitalizing the space. A walk to take in both can become an exploration of bounty and surprise, a sensual walk of adventure and sustenance. A good pairing for a walk: The High Line and Chelsea Market Walking the High Line for a round trip from Gansevoort to W. 30th and then back again adds up to a healthy 2-mile walk. Regular walkers of the elevated park look for an excuse to go there. Especially delightful is showing off the park, a model of its kind, to visitors from out of town. A stroll through Chelsea Market. Time check. If you haven't stopped into Chelsea Market lately, you may want to take a detour from the High Line at the stairs on W. 16th St. and walk through the market for a quick assessment or a sampling. Among the sampli

25 Things to Do Near the Metropolitan Museum of Art

(updated) Sitting on the steps in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of those iconic things to do in New York City. On a sunny day, the wide steps can become crowded with the young and old, the tourist and the resident. It's tempting to stay awhile and soak in the sun and the sights. Everyone has reasons for lingering there, with one being the shared pleasure of people watching along this expansive stretch of Fifth Avenue, a painting come to life. Certainly, just getting off one's feet for a moment is welcome, especially if the previous hours involved walking through the entirety of art history from prehistoric to the contemporary. The entrance to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue The Metropolitan Museum of Art should be a singular pilgrimage, uninterrupted by feeble attempts to take in more exhibitions along Museum Mile. Pity the poor visitor who tries "to do" multiple museum exhibitions in one day, albeit ambitious, noble, and uplift

Taking a Constitutional Walk

A long time ago individuals going out for a walk, especially to get fresh air and exercise, often referred to the activity as "taking a constitutional walk." The word "constitutional" refers to one's constitution or physical makeup, so a constitutional walk was considered beneficial to one's overall wellbeing. (Or, as some would prefer to call it, "wellness.") The phrase is more common in British literature than in American letters. As early as the mid-nineteenth century, many American commentators expressed concern that their countrymen were falling into lazy and unhealthy habits. Newspaper columnists and editorial writers urged their readers to take up the practice of the "constitutional" walk. One such essay, " Walking as an Exercise," originally printed in the Philadelphia Gazette and reprinted in New England Farmer , Volume 11, 1859, urges the people of farm areas to take up walking. City dwellers seemed to have the

Introducing Birds of Inwood

Introducing a New Website It's been a moment since I posted last. Please forgive me. I have been in the forest down the street. After spending many of my leisure hours taking photographs of birds in my local neighborhood of Inwood, I am introducing to you a new website featuring these beautiful and often enigmatic creatures. It's called Birds of Inwood . As I write there, "Inwood is my Amherst." With time, my advancing age, and the pandemic, I have learned to find depth and beauty in places close to home. I have also found to my delight that designing a new website presents great opportunities. Birds of Inwood is pretty flashy! The birds are even larger than life on these new pages! Please visit. You'll be glad I didn't call it "Flying Off the Big Apple." Check out my forest home. - Teri

14 Useful Mobile Apps for Walking New York City

Texting and walking at the same time is wrong. Talking on the phone while strolling down the street is wrong. Leaving the sidewalk to stop and consult the information on a cellphone, preferably while alone, is OK. What's on Walking Off the Big Apple's iPhone: A List Walkmeter GPS Walking Stopwatch for Fitness and Weight Loss . While out walking, Walkmeter tracks routes, time, speed, and elevation. This is an excellent app for recording improvised or impromptu strolls, especially with many unplanned detours. The GPS function maps out the actual route. The app keeps a running tally of calories burned while walking, useful for weight loss goals. Another welcome feature is the ability to switch over to other modes of activity, including cycling. An indispensable app for city walkers. $4.99 New York City Compass , designed by Francesco Bertelli, is an elegant compass calibrated for Manhattan, with indications for Uptown, East Side, Downtown, and West Side. While facing a cert

Visiting New York on a Monday

Mondays are OK. Let's have a look at some of the museums open Mondays - • American Museum of Natural History • Jewish Museum • Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) • National Museum of the American Indian • Neue Galerie • Guggenheim Museum • South Street Seaport Museum Any of these museums could be paired with a nearby restaurant or bar, making a complete full afternoon or day in New York. Monday is especially good for a museum visit, because the crowds tend to be thinner, and restaurants, too, tend to be less busy than on a weekend. A fun museum and bistro walk on the Upper West Side would be a combination of the American Museum of Natural History and the nearby Cafe Lalo on W. 83rd St. I also would suggest a pairing of the Neue Galerie with a nearby cafe, but the two cafes inside the musuem are so good, why go anywhere else? Image above: The Guggenheim on left and Beaux-Arts townhouse on right. View from E. 88th St. by Walking Off the Big Apple.

Walking Off the Big Apple

Search This Blog