It’s the summer, time to look forward to some lazy days, but also to a busy autumn which will soon be upon us.
As you may have heard, we will soon be opening the doors to our new space on Portland Road in Holland Park. It has been two years since we last held a traditional show, and the time has gone by in a blur. However, we have certainly not been idle. I have been travelling far and wide, discovering new artists and fresh and exciting ways to show art.
As well as our continued commitment to photography old and new, our Holland Park space will incorporate many of the other disciplines that I have had an interest in over the years, encompassing textiles, drawings and engravings, grown-up toys, rare books, avant-garde posters, scientific glass and other ‘unusual things’. One could possibly see it as a curiosity shop, without the Dickensian overtones, and the sentiments of intrigue and the eclectic will be in abundance. I always enjoy seeing photography being hung outside the gallery space and amongst other disciplines, and that is what we plan to encourage in this new and intimate space. I hope that when you visit us, you will be inspired. The full address details will be sent to you soon.
The world of photography continues to enliven and entertain, and I suspect you will see more and more AI work coming to the walls of a gallery near you. It is an interesting tool with huge potential, and I hope that artists will use it wisely and creatively. Like all tools used in art and design, the creation is down to the artist embracing and mastering new opportunities. I am sure it will be an absolute game changer.
Paris Photo this year will be the last at the Éphémère and will then move back to the Grand Palais in 2024. We are bringing some exceptional pieces which have not been seen before – I do hope that you will find a way to join us there in November. Some particularly good news is that AIPAD, the great and established American photography fair, will return to the 67th Armoury building on Park Avenue in April 2024. I am sure that those of you who remember the heady days of AIPAD will be very happy to hear this.
I am delighted to report that at AIPAD earlier this year we placed some significant early works by Masahisa Fukase with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, who have been adding key work to their Japanese collection of post-war photography. We also placed an important Shomei Tomatsu work with the Metropolitan Museum in New York and further work by John Bulmer with the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. It is marvellous to see our artists be supported by these great institutions.
We recently returned from a trip to Los Angeles, where the wonderful Tim Walker opened “Wonderful Things” at the Getty Museum. This is the last stop of the incredible V&A show which opened in London in 2019 and closes at the Getty on August 20th. There was quite a party at the Getty to open the show to an unsuspecting audience – it was a joyous occasion, and I don’t think the Museum had seen anything quite like it before. The show drew huge crowds of people to see this super talented artist’s work and installation. We were thrilled that the Getty Museum commissioned 19 new works, which we can offer for your own collections.
I am so proud that Siân Davey has been shortlisted down to the last 10 for this year’s Prix Pictet. Siân has proved yet again that a well-executed simple idea can create beautiful but complex messages. We are good at reading the grammar of the photograph and Siân has such an eloquent visual voice. Long may she sing!
On a more local note, the V&A opened its new and enlarged photography rooms last month, and what astounding rooms they are. The library is especially beautiful, and I know Pam Roberts was visibly moved when she saw all her books in regimented rows in such an extraordinary room. We are very lucky to have this in London for us all to use, and I am sure it will be enjoyed by many. Their photography department has so many amazing photographs to show, and their first exhibition set the precedent for an impressive and lively programme that will cater to the entire photography community.
I wish you a very pleasant summer and look forward to welcoming you to our new home later in the year.
- Michael Hoppen
August 2023
Images
- Deborah Turbeville, Untitled, 1970s © Deborah Turbevillle / MUUS Collection
- Ori Gersht, Floral 01 (Rijksmuseum), 2021 © Ori Gersht
- Paolo Pellegrin, LEBANON. Tyre. July, 2006. Civilians arrive in Tyre after fleeing their villages in southern Lebanon during Israeli airstrikes © Paolo Pellegrin
- Siân Davey, The Garden, 2022 © Siân Davey
