NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY UNVEILS PORTRAIT OF PRINCES WILLIAM AND HARRY

A PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN PORTRAIT OF PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY BY FERGUS GREER AND A PORTRAIT OF TRACEY EMIN BY DAVID BAILEY WILL FORM PART OF A NEW GALLERY DISPLAY HIGHLIGHTING THE PHOTOGRAPHS RECENTLY ACQUIRED BY THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON. EIGHTEEN BY TWELVE: RECENT PHOTOGRAPHIC ACQUISITIONS FROM 7.FEBRUARY IN ROOM 41a WILL SHOW EIGHTEEN PRINTS BY TWELVE CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHERS, ALL ON DISPLAY FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE GALLERY. EVERY YEAR THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY ACQUIRES A DIVERSE SELECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS WHICH OFFER A VISUAL REFLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY BRITISH LIFE AND CULTURE. THE SITTERS IN THIS DISPLAY INCLUDE RECENT PORTRAITS OF POPULAR SCIENTIST BRIAN COX, POET CHRISTOPHER REID, ACTORS BENEDICT CUMBERPATCH, ANDY SERKIS AND MACKENZIE CROOK AND SINGER SONGWRITER K T TUNSTALL. THE DISPLAY WILL ALSO INCLUDE COMEDIENNE CATHERINE TATE, CONTEMPORARY SINGER M I A, POET LAUREATE CAROL ANN DUFFY, NEWSPAPER EXECUTIVE REBEKAH WADE, COMEDIAN RONNIE CORBETT, ARTIST FRANK AUERBACH, AND FILM DIRECTOR TERENCE DAVIES. SEEN IN THE DISPLAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IS AN INFORMAL DOUBLE PORTRAIT OF PRINCES WILLIAM AND HARRY TAKEN AT THE COMMANDANTS HOUSE AT THE ROYAL MILITARY ACADEMY, SANDHURST. PHOTOGRAPHER FERGUS GREER WAS COMMISSIONED BY CLARENCE HOUSE TO TAKE THE PORTRAIT IN DECEMBER 2006 IN PREPARATION FOR THE CONCERT FOR DIANA IN 2007, BUT THE PHOTOGRAPH WAS NOT PUBLISHED. THE PORTRAIT IS ONLY THE SECOND DOUBLE PORTRAIT OF THE TWO PRINCES TO ENTER THE GALLERY'S COLLECTION, THE FIRST A FORMAL COMMISSIONED PORTRAIT BY ARTIST NICKY PHILLIPS WAS UNVEILED IN 2010. THE PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION CONSISTS OF MORE THAN 20,000 ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES DATING FROM THE 1840s TO THE PRESENT DAY. FOUNDED IN 1856, THE AIM OF THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY IS TO COLLECT PORTRAITS OF FAMOUS EN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE MADE AND ARE MAKING BRITISH HISTORY AND CULTURE.

FRY FOUNDING COLLECTION PRESENTS 'PICTURING A PASSION'

'PICTURING A PASSION' PRESENTS HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE FRYE FOUNDING COLLECTION OF LATE 19th AND EARLY 20th CENTURY PAINTINGS AS IT WAS DISPLAYED IN THE SEATTLE HOME OF CHARLES FRYE AND HIS WIFE EMMA. THE EXHIBITION OF 23 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS IS ON VIEW 15.JANUARY THROUGH 6.MARCH.2011. MUSEUM FOUNDERS CHARLES AND EMMA FRYE MOVED FROM AN IOWA FARMING COMMUNITY TO SEATTLE IN 1888, AND SOON ESTABLISHED MEATPACKING, CATTLE RANCHING AND AGRICULTURAL BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND ALASKA. THE COUPLE MAY HAVE BEEN INSPIRED TO COLLECT ART AFTER ATTENDING THE 1893 WORLD COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION IN CHICAGO. SIXTEEN YEARS LATER, THEY LENT ONE OF THEIR PAINTINGS, LEON PERRAULT'S MARGUERITS, TO SEATTLE'S ALASKA YUKON PACIFIC EXHIBITION. DURING THEIR FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE IN THE EARLY SUMMER OF 1914, THE FRYE'S ACQUIRED GERMAN, DUTCH AND A FEW FRENCH CANVASES. THEY RETURNED TO THE CONTINENT FOUR TIMES IN THE NEXT 11 YEARS, AND DEEPENED THEIR ENTHUSIASM FOR ART THROUGH FRIENDSHIPS WITH AMERICAN ARTISTS INCLUDING HENRY RASCHEN AND EUSTACE ZIEGLER. THE FRYES HOUSED THEIR BURGEONING COLLECTION IN THEIR SEATTLE HOME AT 722 NINTH AVENUE. IN 1914, THE COUPLE ADDED A GALLERY ANNEX TO THEIR HOME, IN WHICH THEY HUNG PAINTINGS 'SALON STYLE', FROM FLOOR TO CEILING. THEY USED CURTAINS TO COVER A NUMBER OF WORKS, DRAMATICALLY REVEALING THE HIDDEN PAINTINGS TO DINNER GUESTS WHILE PIPING MUSIC INTO THE GALLERY; OPERAS AND SONATAS SWIRLED AROUND THE LANDSCAPES AND PORTRAITS THEY CHERISHED. THE FRYES ALSO INSTALLED A NUMBER OF ARTWORKS IN THEIR BUSINESS OFFICES, AN ARRANGEMENT THAT HAD TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES IN 1943, WHEN A B-29 SUPERFORTRESS BOMBER, UNDER SECRET DEVELOPMENT AT BOEING, CRASHED INTO FRYE HEADQUARTERS. THIRTY-TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED, THE RESULTING FIRE SEVERELY DAMAGED THE PLANT AND AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF PAINTINGS WERE DESTROYED. MOST OF THE FRYE BUSINESS FILES, INCLUDING ARCHIVAL RECORDS OF THE ART COLLECTION, WERE ALSO LOST. AFTER CHARLES AND EMMA FRYE DIED, THEIR COLLECTION, TOTALING 232 WORKS, WAS GIFTED TO THE PEOPLE OF SEATTLE IN PERPETUITY AND TODAY FORMS A LIVING LEGACY AS THE FOUNDING COLLECTION AT THE FRYE ART MUSEUM, WHICH OPENED IN 1952.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON FOR MOET & CHANDON 2011

WHEN SCARLETT JOHANSSON WAS NAMED AS THE FACE OF MOET & CHANDON IN 2009 SHE POSED IN A GOLDEN GOWN. IMAGES FROM THE NEW 2011 CAMPAIGN HAVE BEEN RELEASED WHICH SHOW THE EFFERVESCENT BLONDE IN A STUNNING ROBIN'S EGG BLUE EVENING GOWN SURROUNDED BU CHAMPAGNE FLUTES. THE IMAGES SHOT BY PHOTOGRAPHER TIM WALKER WERE TAKEN AT TRIANON, AN IMPRESSIVE RESIDENCE BUILT BY JEAN-REMY MOET BETWEEN 1805-1817 ON THE MOET & CHANDON ESTATE IN EPERNAY, FRANCE. THE NEW CAMPAIGN CONSISTS OF THREE PHOTOGRAPHS WHICH WILL BE IN PRINT, OUTDOOR AND ONLINE ADVERTISEMENTS.

NORMAN ROCKWELL MURAL RETURNED TO ITS ORIGINAL HOME

A PHOTOGRAPHIC MURAL BY ARTIST NORMAN ROCKWELL HAS BEEN RETURNED TO ITS FORMER HOME IN VERMONT'S CAPITAL, DRAWING A CLOSE TO A YEARLONG DISPUTE BETWEEN STATE OFFICIALS AND A MUSEUM WHERE IT HUNG FOR 23 YEARS. THE BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH, 'MAPLE SUGARING IN VERMONT', DEPICTS A SUGAR HOUSE WITH SMOKE RISING FROM ITS CHIMNEY AS MEN, INCLUDING ROCKWELL HIMSELF, TEND SAP BUCKETS HANGING ON MAPLE TREES OUTSIDE. MADE IN 1947, THE 5x7 FOOT MURAL WAS COMMISSIONED BY ROCKWELL FRIEND COL HENRY FAIRFAX AYRES, WHO LENT IT TO THE STATE FOR DISPLAY. THE FAMED ILLUSTRATOR, WHOSE PAINTINGS OF FARM SCENES, APPLE CHEEKED CHILDREN AND SLICES OF AMERICANA APPEARED FOR DECADES IN THE SATURDAY EVENING POST, DIED IN 1978. FOR ABOUT 14 YEARS, HE LIVES IN VERMONT, WHERE HE STRUCK UP A FRIENDSHIP WITH AYRES, A WEST POINT GRAD AND WAR VETERAN WHO WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE VERMONT SUGAR MAKERS ASSOCIATION AND IS WIDELY CREDITED WITH IMPROVING MAPLE SUGARING METHODS. THE MURAL HUNG IN THE LOBBY OF THE STATE AGENCY OF AGRICULTURE BUILDING IN MONTPELIER FOR YEARS. IN 1987, THE STATE LENT IT TO THE NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM OF VERMONT BECAUSE OF BUILDING RENOVATION HAD DISPLACED IT. AT THE RUTLAND MUSEUM, IT CAME TO ANCHOR AN EXHIBIT POPULAR WITH FOLIAGE-VIEWING VISITORS AND ROCKWELL BUFFS. THE STATE NEVER SOUGHT TO RECLAIM IT. BUT LAST YEAR, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY ROGER ALLBEE, WHO KNEW OF THE LOAN FROM TWIN BROTHER RONALD, WHO HELD THE AGRICULTURE SECRETARY JOB BEFORE HIM, BEGAN MAKING INQUIRIES AT THE MUSEUM. 'THEY SAY 'NE WE OWN IT', SAID ALLBEE, STANDING IN FRONT OF THE MURAL MONDAY. THE MUSEUM'S CURATOR, RACHEL LYNES-BELL, SAYS IT WASN'T AS SIMPLE AS THAT. 'IT'S NOT LIKE WE'VE HAD IT FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. WE'VE HAD IT FOR 23 YEARS. YOU'D WALK INTO THE MUSEUM AND BOOM, IT WAS WHAT YOU SAW, ALONG WITH A WHITE-UP ABOUT THE MURAL AND THE REASONS BEHIND IT AND THE MAN IT WAS GIFTED TO', SHE SAID. 'WE HAD TO DIG AND FIND EVERY ARCHIVE WE COULD, BECAUSE WE HAD IT SO LONG. HAVING SOMETHING THAT'S THE CENTER-POINT OF A COLLECTION FOR 23 YEARS, IT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE RESEARCHED. THAT WAS THE ONLY RELUCTANCE WE HAD. WE THOUGH IT WAS A TRAGEDY BECAUSE WE'VE GROWN SUCH TIES TO IT', SHE ADDED. AT FIRST, THE MUSEUM CHALLENGED THE STATE TO PROVE OWNERSHIP. THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE WAS ENLISTED, DOING RESEARCH ON THE MURAL'S PROVENANCE AND CONTACTING AYRES' GRANDSON, WHO WANTED IT RETURNED TO THE STATE AND OFFERED TO SUE THE MUSEUM TO RECLAIM IT IF ALL ELSE FAILED. LAST WEEK, IT WAS HUNG IN A SECOND-FLOOR HALLWAY OF THE AGENCY OF AGRICULTURE'S OFFICE BUILDING, ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE STATE HOUSE. 'THE MURAL IS LOVELY AND AN AUTHENTIC REPRESENTATION OF SUGARING IN VERMONT, OUR SIGNATURE PRODUCT', ALLBEE SAID. HE'S THRILLED TO HAVE IT BACK IN THE CAPITAL. THE MUSEUM'S CURATOR ISN'T. 'IT'LL BE SEEN MORE AT THE ROCKWELL MUSEUM THAN IT WILL BE OVER AT THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. BUT IT'S NOT MY PLACE TO SAY EITHER', SHE SAID.

ASSOULINE PRESENTS NEW BOOK ON CECIL BEATON

FAMED PHOTOGRAPHER CECIL BEATON DIDN'T JUST SHOOT PICTURES FOR VOGUE AND VANITY FAIR, HE ALSO MINGLED WITH THE CREAM OF 20th CENTURY SOCIETY. AND HE KEPT NOTES. CECIL BEATON KEPT EXACTING DIARIES OF HIS DAILY LIFE AND ALSO AMASSED DOZENS OF SCRAPBOOKS NOW HELD BY SOTHEBY'S LONDON. A NEW BOOK FROM ASSOULINE REVEALS THESE SCRAPBOOKS TO THE PUBLIC. THE 400 PAGES CONTAINS OVER 600 IMAGES INCLUDING HIS OWN PRINTS AND CLIPPINGS FROM MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS AND PLAYBILLS, IT'S AN ASSEMBLAGE OF A FABULOUS AND WELL-LIVED LIFE. THE BOOK WAS ASSEMBLED BY JAMES DANZIGER, THE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE LONDON SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINES, FEATURES EDITOR OF VANITY FAIR, AND DIRECTOR OF MAGNUM NEW YORK. IT GOES ON SALE NEXT WEEK AND SELLS FOR $250.

VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS PRESENTS SALLY MANN EXHIBITION

ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR EXHIBITION IN THE UNITED STATES OF THE BOLD WORK OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHER SALLY MANN OPENED AT THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS (VMFA) ON 13.NOVEMBER. EXCLUSIVE TO RICHMOND, THE EXHIBITION WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 23.JANUARY.2011. FOCUSING OF THE THEME OF THE BODY, THE EXHIBITION WILL REVOLVE AROUND SEVERAL ENTIRELY NEW SERIES WHILE ALSO INCORPORATING LITTLE-KNOWN EARLY WORKS. MANN IS ADMIRED FOR HER PASSIONATE USE OF PHOTOGRAPHY TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF LOVE AND LOSS, EXPRESSED IN IMAGES OF HER CHILDREN AND SOUTHERN LANDSCAPES. HER RECENT WORK USES OBSOLETE PHOTOGRAPHIC METHODS AND NEARLY ABSTRACT IMAGES TO PUSH THE LIMITS OF HER MEDIUM AND TO DIG DEEPER INTO THEMES OF MORTALITY AND VULNERABILITY. THE IMAGES INCLUDE SEVERAL POWERFUL SERIES OF SELF-PORTRAITS, AN ENTIRELY NEW SUBJECT IN HER WORK, AND FIGURE STUDIES OF HER HUSBAND. SOME OF THE WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION INCLUDE NUDITY AND OTHER GRAPHIC MATERIAL, VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. SELF-EXAMINATION, AGING, DEATH, AND DECAY ARE SOME OF THE SUBJECTS OF THE EXHIBITION, AND THESE ARE BALANCED BY THEMES OF BEAUTY, LOVE, TRUST AND THE HOPEFULNESS OF YOUTH. AMONG THE WORKS ARE PORTRAITS OF MANN'S HUSBAND, WHO SUFFERS FROM A DEGENERATIVE MUSCLE DISEASE. THESE ARE JUXTAPOSED WITH COLOURFUL IMAGES OF HER CHILDREN, FORMING A POIGNANT COMPARISON BETWEEN YOUTHFUL EVANESCENCE AND THE EXPRESSIVE CAPACITY OF THE MATURE ADULT BODY. OTHER WORKS OFFER ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE THEMES OF AGING AND MORTALITY. MADE DURING A TRIP TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE FOR FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY CENTER, MANN'S 'BODY FARM' IMAGES EXPLORE HER FASCINATION WITH THE THIN LINE BETWEEN ANIMATE AND INANIMATE, FORM AND MATTER. MULTI-PART SELF-PORTRAITS REPRESENT MANN'S FIRST EXTENDED EXPLORATION OF HER OWN FACE AS A SUBJECT. TWO SELF-PORTRAIT PIECES CONSIST OF MULTIPLE UNIQUE PHOTOGRAPHS PRINTED ON BLACK GLASS, A FORMAT KNOWN AS AMBROTYPES, ARRANGED IN MONUMENTAL GRIDS OF MANN'S LIKENESS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.vmfa.state.va.us

NEW MARILYN MONROE BOOK PRESENTS UNSEEN PHOTOS

A COLLECTION OF MORE THAN 100 PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED PHOTOS OF MARILYN MONROE CAN BE SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A NEW BOOK 'MARILYN: AUGUST 1953'. THE BOOK, PUBLISHED THIS WEEK BY CALLA EDITIONS, FEATURES DIGITALLY RESTORED BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES TAKEN DURING THE SUMMER OF 1953 OF A THEN 27 YEAR OLD MONROE. THE PHOTOS WERE SHOT BY JOHN VACHON, ON ASSIGNMENT FOR LOOK MAGAZINE IN ALBERTA, CANADA, WHERE MONROE WAS FILMING 'RIVER OF NO RETURN' WITH ROBERT MITCHUM. AN ANKLE INJURY PREVENTED MONROE FROM FILMING, ALLOWING VACHON TO HAVE SEVERAL DAYS TO SHOOT THE HOLLYWOOD ICON. ONLY THREE PHOTOS FROM THE HISTORIC SESSIONS WERE PUBLISHED IN AN OCTOBER 1953 LOOK STORY. THE BOOK WILL FEATURE PHOTOS OF MONROE AND THEN FIANCE, BASEBALL LEGEND JOE DIMAGGIO SNUGGLING. VACHON IS THOUGHT TO BE THE ONLY PHOTOGRAPHER THE PAIR FORMALLY POSED FOR. IN ANOTHER OF THE PICTURES, A COMICALLY FRIGHTENED-LOOKING MONROE IS IN THE CLUTCHES OF A TAXIDERMY BEAR. VACHON'S IMAGES OF MONROE WERE INCLUDED IN THE FIVE MILLION PHOTOGRAPH ARCHIVE DONATED TO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AFTER LOOK FOLDED IN 1971.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY ACQUIRES ISABELLA BLOW PORTRAIT

A CACOPHONY OF STUFFED ANIMALS DRAMATICALLY SPOT-LIT ONTO A WALL TO FORM A PORTRAIT SILHOUETTE OF THE LATE FASHION ICON ISABELLA BLOW HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY. THE UNUSUAL PORTRAIT MADE OF 15 TAXIDERMY ANIMALS (INCLUDING BIRDS, A RAT AND A SNAKE), WOOD AND FAKE MOSS, TOGETHER WITH A HEEL FROM ONE OF BLOW'S OWN MANOLO BLAHNIK SHOES AND HER TRADEMARK LIPSTICK, IS A VIVID COMBINATION OF SCULPTURE, INSTALLATION AND LIGHT PROJECTION. IN THE RESULTING SILHOUETTE OF A HEAD, ISABELLA BLOW APPEARS TO BE WEARING ONE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY HATS DESIGNED FOR HER BY PHILLIP TREACY, WHICH OFTEN FEATURED TAXIDERMY. THE ARTISTS WERE FASCINATED BY WHAT THEY SAW AS BLOW'S GOTHIC QUALITY AND CHOSE TO DEPICT HER HEAD AS THOUGH ON A STAKE, INCORPORATING A RAVEN AND THE SPECIES OF RAT ASSOCIATED WITH THE BLACK DEATH. THE WORK HAS BEEN DONATED TO THE GALLERY BY THE ESTATE OF ISABELLA BLOW, WHO DIED IN 2007, AND THE ARTISTS TIM NOBLE AND SUE WEBSTER WHO CREATED IT FROM LIFE ON 2002. THE RESULT OF THEIR FRIENDSHIP WITH BLOW, THIS IS THE ONLY PORTRAIT BY THE ARTISTS OF A PERSON OTHER THAN THEMSELVES. AS A JOURNALIST, STYLIST AND MUSE, ISABELLA BLOW (1958-2007) WAS A LEADING FIGURE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FASHION IN THE 1990s AND 2000s. SHE IS CREDITED WITH DISCOVERING AND PROMOTING THE CAREERS OF IMPORTANT BRITISH DESIGNERS INCLUDING ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, HUSSEIN CHALAYAN, THE WORLD'S LEADING MILLINER PHILIP TREACY, AND THE PHOTOGRAPHER JUERGEN TELLER.

ASSOULINE PRESENTS NEW BOOK ABOUT TOMMY HILFIGER

TOMMY HILFIGER GETS THE ASSOULINE TREATMENT IN A STUNNING NEW LUXURY BOOK THAT CELEBRATES BOTH THE MAN AND THE ICONIC BRAND. THE NEW LUXURY BOOK TAKES A LOOK AT 25 YEARS OF HILFIGER FASHION. THE SPECIAL EDITION FROM ASSOULINE'S ULTIMATE COLLECTION USES A PHOTO-ALBUM FORMAT TO CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF A DESIGNER AND HIS ALL-AMERICAN STYLE. 'THIS BOOK IS A CULMINATION OF MY LIFE'S WORK, SHARING SOME OF MY INNERMOST THOUGHTS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS', SAID TOMMY HILFIGER. 'THE TOMMY HILFIGER BRAND HAS EXISTED FOR 25 YEARS, BUT I'VE BEEN DESIGNING ALL MY LIFE. THIS BOOK IS THE EQUIVALENT OF ME TELLING A FRIEND ABOUT MY FAMILY, HOW I GOT TO WHERE I AM TODAY, AND WHERE I WANT TO GO FROM HERE. MY HOPE IS THAT EVERYONE HAS AS MUCH FUN READING IT AS I DID MAKING IT.' THE BOOK MEASURES 14X17 AND HAS 144 PAGES WITH MORE THAN 200 ILLUSTRATIONS, 65 OF WHICH ARE TIPPED IN BY HAND. THE BOOK COMES IN A LINEN CLAMSHELL PRESENTATION BOX WITH AN EMBROIDERED FLAG LOGO WITH GOLD STITCHING. IT IS A LIMITED EDITION OF 1,000 AND EACH ONE SELLS FOR $550.

ANSEL ADAMS' GROUP SUES OVER GARAGE FIND

A GROUP REPRESENTING ANSEL ADAMS SUED A FRESNO MAN MONDAY FOR SELLING PRINTS AND POSTERS UNDER THE NAME OF THE FAMED NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER, THE LATEST SALVO IN A DISPUTE OVER GLASS NEGATIVES BOUGHT AT A GARAGE SALE AND PURPORTED TO BE ADAMS' LOST WORKS. THE LAWSUIT, FILLED IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT IN SAN FRANSISCO BY THE ANSEL ADAMS PUBLISHING RIGHTS TRUST, SEEKS TO STOP RICK NORSIGIAN AND CONSULTING FIRM PRS MEDIA PARTNERS FROM USING ADAMS' NAME, LIKENESS AND TRADEMARK IN THEIR EFFORTS TO SELL PRINTS AND POSTERS NOT AUTHORIZED OR ENDORSED BY THE TRUST. THE SUIT ALLEGES TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT, FALSE ADVERTISING, TRADEMARK DILUTION, UNFAIR COMPETITION AND OTHER CLAIMS. IT DOES NOT SPECIFY DAMAGES BUT ASKS THE COURT TO ORDER THE DEFENDANTS TO PAY RESTITUTION PF THEIR PROFITS FROM ANY SALES, AS WELL AS AWARD ANY OTHER MONETARY RELIEF. NORSIGIAN'S LAWYER, ARNOLD PETER, SAID THE LAWSUIT HAS NO MERIT AND IS DESIGNED TO HARASS HIS CLIENT AND 'SILENCE THIS DEBATE'. 'WE ARE DISAPPOINTED THAT THE ANSEL ADAMS PUBLISHING GROUP RIGHTS TRUST HAS DECIDED TO RESORT TO THE COURTS IN ORDER TO RESOLVE WHAT, IN OUR VIEW, IS A DEBATE THAT SHOULD BE RESOLVED BY ART AND FORENSIC EXPERTS', PETER SAID IN A STATEMENT. NORSIGIAN SAYS THAT HE BOUGHT THE NEGATIVES 10 YEARS AGO AT A FRESNO GARAGE SALE FOR $45. HE NOTICED THEY RESEMBLED ADAMS' ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK AND HIRED PETER TO ASSEMBLE A TEAM OF EXPERTS TO AUTHENTICATE THEM. LAST MONTH PETER ANNOUNCED THAT HIS TEAM STUDIED THE 65 NEGATIVES FOR SIX MONTHS AND CONCLUDED 'BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT' THAT THE PHOTOS WERE ADAMS' EARLY WORK, BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN DESTROYED IN A 1937 FIRE AT HIS YOSEMITE STUDIO. NORSIGIAN HAS SET UP A WEBSITE TO SELL PRINTS MADE FROM SOME OF THE NEGATIVES, FROM $45 FOR A POSTER TO $7,500 FOR A DARKROOM PRINT WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY. A BEVERLY HILLS ART GALLERY OWNED BY DAVID W STREETS PLANS TO HOLD A PUBLIC VIEWING OF PART OF THE COLLECTION NEXT MONTH. ADAMS' REPRESENTATIVES HAVE NEVER BOUGHT THE CLAIM, CALLING IT A FRAUD. THE LAWSUIT IS THE LATEST ACTION TO STOP WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS A 'SCAM'. THE SUIT ALSO SAYS THERE IS 'SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE' SUGGESTING THE NEGATIVES WERE CREATED BY ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHER, EARL BROOKS, WHOSE NIECE CAME FORWARD JUST DAYS AFTER PETER'S ANNOUNCEMENT TO SAY SHE HAD A PHOTO OF HER UNCLE'S THAT LOOKED IDENTICAL TO ONE OF THE NEGATIVES. THE LAWSUIT FURTHER SAYS THAT EVEN IF THEY WERE ADAMS' NEGATIVES, THE PRINTS AND POSTERS BEING CREATED FROM THEM AREN'T THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S WORKS, 'BUT ARE DERIVATIVE WORKS AT BEST'. THE SUIT SAYS THE DEFENDANTS ARE IMPROPERLY AND UNLAWFULLY TRADING ON ADAMS TRADEMARK AND DELIBERATELY CONFUSING CONSUMERS. ADAMS ESTABLISHED THE TRUST IN 1976 TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF HIS WORK AND PRESERVE HIS ARTISTIC LEGACY. ADAMS' BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS, PRIMARILY OF THE AMERICAN WEST, ARE WIDELY REPRODUCED ON CALENDERS AND POSTERS AND IN COFFEE-TABLE BOOKS, WHILE HIS PRINTS ARE COVETED BY COLLECTORS. HIS PRINT 'CLEARING WINTER STORM, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK' BROUGHT $722,500 AT AUCTION THIS SUMMER IN NEW YORK, A RECORD FOR 20th CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY.

PHOTOGRAPH OF CHARLES M SCHULZ DONATED TO NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

A PHOTOGRAPH OF 'PEANUTS' CREATOR CHARLES M SCHULZ (1922–2000) WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY IN A CEREMONY FOR INVITED GUESTS 1.OCTOBER. THE EVENT RECOGNIZES THE CARTOONIST'S IMPACT ON MILLION OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE AND COINCIDES WITH COMMEMORATIONS SURROUNDING THE 60th ANNIVERSARY OF 'PEANUTS'. THE 1986 PHOTOGRAPH, CREATED BY ACCLAIMED PORTRAITIST YOUSUF KARSH, IS THE PORTRAIT GALLERY'S FIRST IMAGE OF THE FAMED CARTOONIST. IN THE IMAGE, SCHULZ IS AT HIS DRAWING BOARD WITH PEN IN HAND. BEFORE HIM IS A PARTIALLY COMPLETED 'PEANUTS' FULL-PAGE COMIC FEATURING THE PERENNIALLY POPULAR STORY LINE IN WHICH LUCY SNATCHES THE FOOTBALL AWAY FROM CHARLIE BROWN AND SENDS HIM HURTLING THROUGH THE AIR. THE PHOTOGRAPH, WITH THE ACCOMPANYING ORIGINAL COMIC STRIP, WILL BE ON PUBLIC VIEW IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE CEREMONY IN THE MUSEUM'S 'NEW ARRIVALS' EXHIBITION. THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY WILL MARK THE 60th ANNIVERSARY OF TEH 'PEANUTS' STRIP WITH A CASE THAT WILL FEATURE OBJECTS FROM SCHULZ, INCLUDING DRAWING UTENSILS, AN ANIMATION CELL FROM THE TELEVISION SPECIAL 'IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN' AND TWO COMIC PANELS THAT SHOW THE CARTOON'S PROGRESSION FROM ROUGH PENCIL SKETCHES TO FINISHED INK STRIPS. 'PEANUTS' ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST BELOVED COMIC STRIPS, RAN WITHOUT INTERRUPTION FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS. ENCORES OF THE COMIC STRIP APPEAR TODAY IN MORE THAN 2,200 NEWSPAPERS IN 75 COUNTRIES AND 21 LANGUAGES. 'PEANUTS' ANIMATED SPECIALS HAVE BECOME SEASONAL TRADITIONS, AND THOUSANDS OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE. CHARLIE BROWN KICKING THE FOOTBALL, LINUS AND LINUS BLANKET AND LUCY LEANING OVER SCHROEDER'S PIANO ARE IMAGES WHICH EVERYONE CAN RELATE. PHRASES SUCH AS 'SECURITY BLANKET' AND 'GOOD GRIEF' ARE PART OF THE GLOBAL VERNACULAR. THE PHOTOGRAPH OF SCHULZ HAS BEEN DONATED TO THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY BY ESTRELLITA KARSH, IN MEMORY OF YOUSUF KARSH.

MAISON EUROPEENNE DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE TO PRESENT KARL LAGERFELD EXHIBITION

A STUNNING NEW EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHANEL CREATIVE DIRECTOR KARL LAGERFELD IS OPENING IN PARIS THIS SEPTEMBER JUST IN TIME FOR THE CITY'S FASHION WEEK. THE SHOW AT THE MAISON EUROPEENNE DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE IN THE HISTORIC HEART OF THE CITY WILL FEATURE A MIX OF FASHION PHOTOS, PORTRAITS, LANDSCAPES, ARCHITECTURAL IMAGES AND PERSONAL SHOTS, INCLUDING SEVERAL OF HIS LONGTIME MUSE, CLAUDIA SCHIFFER. LAGERFELD, WHO SHOOTS ALL OF CHANEL'S AD CAMPAIGNS HIMSELF, HAS PUBLISHED SEVERAL BOOKS OF HIS PHOTOGRAPHS, AND HAS HIS OWN ART PUBLISHING IMPRINT AND BOOK SHOP CALLED 7L. 'WHAT I ADMIRE MOST IS THE PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO HAVE GONE DOWN TO POSTERITY WITH A SINGLE IMAGE', THE DESIGNER TELLS LA PARISIENNE. 'AN IMAGE, I PREFER THIS WORD TO THE WORD PICTURE, WHICH WENT DOWN IN THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD . . . TODAY THE PICTURE IS PART OF MY LIFE. IT CLOSES THE CIRCLE OF MY ARTISTIC AND PROFESSIONAL LIVES. I LOOK AT THE FASHION WORLD WITH THE EYE OF THE CAMERA. THIS GIVES MY WORK A BASIC CRITICAL DETACHMENT THAT HELPS MORE THAN I WOULD HAVE SUSPECTED.' THE EXHIBITION RUNS FROM 10.SEPTEMBER TO 15.OCTOBER.

OIL-SPILL PHOTO SPREAD FEATURED IN VOGUE ITALIA

THE MODEL IS IN BLACK, PRONE AND DIRTY ON JAGGED ROCKS, NETTING DRAPED AROUND HER LEGS LIKE A DEAD SEA CREATURE. THERE SHE IS AGAIN, LYING ON HER BACK IN A STUNNING FEATHERED GOWN, AND IN CLOSE UP, HER HAIR AND FACE SLEEK WITH OIL. A STIRRING AND DARING PHOTO SPREAD IN THE NEW AUGUST ISSUE OF VOGUE ITALIA WAS INSPIRED BY THE RECENT GULF OIL SPILL, LEAVING READERS WONDERING IF THE MAGAZINE CROSSED FROM EVOCATIVE TO INSENSITIVE. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FRANC SOZZANI UNDERSTANDS THE DEBATE STRETCHING FROM BLOGOSPHERE TO BEACHES AND SAID THE MOTIVATION IS STRAIGHTFORWARD. 'THE MESSAGE IS TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT NATURE', SHE SAID IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. THE SPREAD, FEATURING KIRISTEN MCMENAMY, IS TITLED 'WATER & OIL' AND WAS SHOT IN LOS ANGELES BY LEADING FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER, STEVEN MEISEL. SOZZANI SAID THE SHOOT REFLECTS THE MAGAZINE'S EFFORT TO 'FIND AN IDEA THAT COMES FROM REAL LIFE. . . . THERE IS NOTHING MORE POLITICAL. THERE IS NOTHING SOCIAL. IT'S ONLY VISUALLY. WE GAVE A MASSAGE BUT IN A VISUAL WAY.' SOME BLOGGERS WEREN'T PLEASED. DODI STEWART, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF JEZEBEL, CALLED THE SPREAD INAPPROPRIATE. 'I DIDN'T FEEL IT MADE A STATEMENT', SHE SAID IN AN INTERVIEW. 'I FELT THAT THEY USED THE OIL SPILL AS A BACKDROP. THERE WAS ONE PICTURE THAT HAD FEATHERS. . . WHAT MAKES A STRONGER STATEMENT ABOUT OIL-SLICKED BIRDS IS AN OIL-SLICKED BIRD.' MIRANDA LASH, CURATOR OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART AT THE NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART, SAID ARTISTS SHOULD BE FREE TO TAKE ON ANY SUBJECT. 'WHEN I LOOK AT IT, I FEEL PAIN. IT EVOKES PAIN AND A FEELING OF LOSS AND SADNESS BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO HURT MY REGION FOR A VERY LONG TIME.' BETH BATTON, CURATOR OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTION AT THE MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM OF ART IN JACKSON, MISS, SAID IN AN EMAIL THAT THE SPREAD HUMANIZES THE CONDITION OF THE GULF COAST ANIMALS AND ENVIRONMENT. 'LOOKING AT STEVEN MEISEL'S PHOTOGRAPHS, YOU KNOW SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG BECAUSE, AS SENSUAL AS THE IMAGES ARE, THE HUMAN MIND UNDERSTANDS THE TOXICITY OF THE OIL SPILL THAT HAS COATED MODEL KRISTEN MCMENAMY'S SKIN, HAIR AND FEATHERY GLOVES', SHE SAID.

LEONARD NIMOY'S 'SECRET SELVES' ON SHOW AT MASS MOCA

INSPIRED BY ARISTOPHANES' THEORY THAT HUMANS WERE ONCE DOUBLE-SIDED CREATURES WITH TWO HEADS AND MULTIPLE LIMBS BEFORE ZEUS CLEAVED MAN IN TWO AND LEFT HIM FOREVER STRUGGLING TO BE WHOLE AGAIN, LEONARD NIMOY'S PHOTOGRAPHS REVEAL HIS SUBJECTS' OTHER HALF. SHOT IN NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS, IN 2007, THE SERIES WILL BE EXHIBITED FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SUMMER, OPENING AT MASS MOCA ON 31.JULY. FOR 'SECRET SELVES' NIMOY RECRUITED VOLUNTEERS TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED, POSED AND DRESSED AS THEIR TRUE OR IMAGINED SECRET SELVES. FROM THE POPULAR ROCK STAR AND SUPERMAN TO THE MORE UNEXPECTED WIZARD AND WOOD NYMPH, THESE OFF-LINE AVATARS OFFER AN INTIMATE, SOMETIMES HUMOROUS, AND OFTEN PROFOUND NEW LOOK AT THE RESIDENTS OF NORTHAMPTON WHILE TAPPING INTO A SHARED SENSE OF INNER YEARNING AND FANTASY. THE EXHIBITION PRESENTS A COMPELLING PERSPECTIVE ON THE COMPLEX STRUCTURE OF IDENTITY AS WELL AS AN INTIMATE LOOK AT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PORTRAIT SUBJECT AND PHOTOGRAPHER.
LEONARD NIMOY WAS BORN IN BOSTON, MASS, IN 1931. AFTER A STINT IN THE ARMY, NIMOY WORKED IN FEATURE FILMS, TELEVISION AND THEATER APPEARING IN MANY OF THE WELL-KNOWN TV SERIES OF THE PERIOD. HOWEVER, IT WAS NIMOY'S ENORMOUS SUCCESS AS MR SPOCK IN THE SCIENCE FICTION SERIES, STAR TREK, WHICH GAINED HIM WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION. THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE NIMOY HAS BEEN ENGAGED WITH PHOTOGRAPHY AS BOTH STUDENT AND PRACTITIONER. IN THE 1970s HE STUDIED UNDER THE INFLUENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT HEINECKEN AT UCLA. IN 1973 NIMOY HAD HIS FIRST SHOW AT A GALLERY. THAT SAME YEAR HIS BOOK OF POEMS AND PHOTOGRAPHS, YOU AND I WAS PUBLISHED, AND BY 1977 HE RECORDED FOR THE DOT LABEL AND EARNED A MASTERS DEGREE IN EDUCATION. NIMOY AND HIS WIFE, SUSAN BAY NIMOY, HAVE CONTRIBUTED TOWARD A VARIETY OF CAUSES INCLUDING THE RENOVATION AND EXPANSION OF GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY IN LOS ANGELES AND THE THALIA THEATER IN NEW YORK CITY. A NEW LECTURE HALL AT THE OBSERVATORY, THE LEONARD NIMOY EVENT HORIZON, HAS BEEN NAMED IN HIS HONOR AND THE THEATER IN NEW YORK IS NOW NAMED THE LEONARD NIMOY THALIA.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.massmoca.org

THE QUEEN OPENS HER PHOTOGRAPHS TO TEH WORLD ON FLICKR

YET ANOTHER SIGN OF THE QUEEN'S DETERMINATION TO MASTER NEW TECHNOLOGY. AFTER EMBRACING YOUTUBE AND TWITTER, BUCKINGHAM PALACE HAS LAUNCHED A NEW FLICKR ACCOUNT RECENTLY CONTAINING MORE THAN 600 PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY AT WORK AND PLAY. SOME OF THE RARELY PUBLISHED IMAGES OF THE QUEEN, THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, THE PRINCE OF WALES, THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL, PRINCE WILLIAM, PRINCE HARRY AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY WILL DATE BACK WELL OVER A CENTURY, WHILE OTHERS WILL BE FROM AS RECENTLY AS THE QUEEN'S TOUR OF CANADA AND HER VISIT TO NEW YORK EARLIER THIS MONTH. THE MONARCHY'S NEW FLICKR ACCOUNT IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN BUCKINGHAM PALACE, CLARENCE HOUSE AND ST JAMES'S PALACE. PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE ROYAL ARCHIVE MASTERPIECES OF EARLY BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTED BY QUEEN VICTORIA AND PRINCE ALBERT IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19th CENTURY. IN ALL, THERE ARE 28 DIFFERENT SETS OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND THE THEMES INCLUDE THE QUEEN AND THE COMMONWEALTH, ROYAL EVENTS AND CEREMONIES, AND LATEST NEWS AND DIARY. THE QUEEN IS SAID TO BE 'VERY ENTHUSIASTIC' ABOUT THE NEW TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES AND HAS PERSONALLY APPROVED THE RELEASE OF ARCHIVE PHOTOGRAPHS FEATURING MOMENTOUS AND TOUCHING MOMENTS IN ROYAL HISTORY. THOSE CLOSE TO THE QUEEN, WHO IS 84, HAVE TOLD HOW, ENCOURAGED BY HER GRANDCHILDREN, SHE HAS LONG BEEN KEEN TO LEARN ABOUT NEW TECHNOLOGY. SHE HAS HER OWN PRIVATE EMAIL ADDRESS, 'SURFS' THE WEB AND USES A MOBILE PHONE. A SPOKESMAN FOR BUCKINGHAM PALACE SAID: 'THE (FLICKR) LAUNCH IS TIMED TO COINCIDE WITH THE SUMMER OPENING OF BUCKINGHAM PALACE, AS THE SITE HIGHLIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHS SPECIALLY COMMISSIONED FOR THE PALACE'S EXHIBITION, THE QUEEN'S YEAR, WHICH OPENS ON 27.JULY.'
FOR MORE VISIT www.flickr.com/britishmonarchy

MUSEO THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA PRESENTS MARIO TESTINO EXHIBITION

fOR THE FIRST TIME IN SPAIN, THE MUSEO THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA IS PRESENTING THE WORK OF PERUVIAN PHOTOGRAPHER MARIO TESTINO. THE EXHIBITION TODO A NADA BRINGS TOGETHER 54 PHOTOGRAPHS THAT REVEAL THE TWO OPPOSING CONCEPTS TO BE FOUND IN HIS WORK; FASHION AND THE NUDE. THESE CONCEPTS ARE PRESENT BOTH IN HIS BETTER KNOWN ACTIVITIES AS A FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER, INCLUDING THE IMAGES THAT HE CREATED FOR VOGUE, VANITY FAIR, V MAGAZINE, ALLURE AND THE FACE, AS WELL AS IN HIS MORE PERSONAL CREATIONS, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF UNPUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHS SPECIALLY TAKEN FOR THIS EXHIBITION. FOR MARIO TESTINO, THE ESSENCE OF THE EXHIBITION LIES IN CONTEMPLATING THE PROCESS AND IMPLICATIONS INVOLVED IN THE ACT OF REMOVING ONE'S CLOTHES TO BECOME NAKED: 'A VOYAGE FROM HAUTE COUTURE TO NUDITY, INCLUDING THE INTERMEDIARY PROCESS THAT IMPLIES BARING THE FORM.' IN THIS SENSE, THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS IN WHICH THE MODEL WEARS EXTRAVAGANT DRESSES, ENVELOPED IN A SETTING SPECIFICALLY CREATED FOR THE SHOT AND CHARACTERIZED BY THE DELIBERATE DESIRE FOR THEATRICALITY, AS WELL AS OTHERS IN WHICH SHE IS SEEN UNCLOTHED, CLEARLY REFERRING TO FAMOUS IMAGES OF SPANISH ART SUCH AS GOYA'S MAJAS. THE EXHIBITION ALSO EXAMINES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND HIS MODELS, WHO ARE ALWAYS WOMEN, FROM THE GLAMOR OF TOP MODELS, EITHER NUDE OR WEARING HAUTE COUTURE AND ON OCCASIONS PHOTOGRAPHED WITH A TOUCH OF IRONY AND A SENSE OF HUMOR, TO PHOTOGRAPHS OF FRIENDS AND ANONYMOUS INDIVIDUALS. TODO A NADA IS AN ODE TO 'TESTINO'S WOMAN' , AN ICONIC IMAGE OF WOMAN THAT HE HAS DEFINED AND REDEFINED OVER THE COURSE OF HIS CAREER.

HERMES TIMEPIECES 2010 AD CAMPAIGN

FRENCH LUXURY HOUSE HERMES HAS UNVEILED ITS LATEST ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN SHOWCASING ITS WATCHES AGAINST A SERIES OF EQUESTRIAN-THEMED IMAGES. THE STUNNING SET OF ADVERTISEMENTS DEPICT HORSES IN A VARIETY OF DRAMATIC SCENES AND UNUSUAL LOCATIONS, RUNNING ALONGSIDE IMAGES OF THE WATCHMAKERS NEWEST MODELS. THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN BY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER TIM FLACH, AND EACH IMAGE IS SEPARATED BY THE BRAND'S RIBBON, WHICH READS: HERMES SELLIER - HERMES HOROLOGER.

LADY GAGA AND POLAROID PRESENT MIT MUSEUM WITH PHOTO OF LADY GAGA

POLAROID TODAY GATHERED AT THE MIT MUSEUM, CAMBRIDGE, MA, TO CELEBRATE THE BRAND'S RICH 73 YEAR HISTORY AND BRIGHT FUTURE. POLAROID PRESENTED AN EXCLUSIVE PHOTO OF LADY GAGA, POLAROID'S CREATIVE DIRECTOR, TO THE MIT MUSEUM THAT WILL BECOME A PART OF THE POLAROID ARTIFACTS AT THE MUSEUM, WHILE NAMING BOBBY SAGER AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD FOR POLAROID. MERGING POLAROID'S PAST WITH ITS FUTURE, THE ICONIC POLAROID 20X24 INCH VIEW CAMERA CAPTURED THE IMAGE OF POLAROID'S CREATIVE DIRECTOR LADY GAGA TAKING IN INSPIRATION FOR HER UPCOMING PRODUCT LINE AT THE MIT MUSEUM. THE POLAROID 20X24 INCH VIEW CAMERA IS PART OF THE 10,000 POLAROID ARTIFACTS THAT THE NEW OWNERS OF POLAROID DONATED TO THE MIT MUSEUM IN MAY 2010. LADY GAGA'S RECENT APPOINTMENT AS POLAROID'S CREATIVE DIRECTOR IS THE FIRST OF MANY CORPORATE OBJECTIVES TOWARD DEVELOPING NEW AND EXCITING PRODUCTS, INTRODUCING POLAROID TO A NEW GENERATION. EARLIER TODAY, LADY GAGA PRESIDED OVER A PRODUCT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT SESSION FOR FUTURE POLAROID PRODUCTS. TODAY'S SESSION WAS A MILESTONE IN THE ROAD TO DEVELOPING LADY GAGA'S CO-BRANDED POLAROID PRODUCTS THAT BLEND FASHION, TECHNOLOGY AND PHOTOGRAPHY.

SOTHEBY'S BREAKS SALES RECORDS WITH POLAROID CORPORATE COLLECTION

A HISTORIC SALE OF WORKS BY SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN 20tH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY SET RECORDS DURING A TWO-DAY AUCTION OF ICONIC IMAGES FROM THE POLAROID CORPORATE COLLECTION. THE AUCTION OF MORE THAN 1,000 PHOTOGRAPHS BROUGHT $12.4 MILLION, EXCEEDING ITS PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF UP TO $10.7 MILLION, SOTHEBY'S AUCTION HOUSE SAID IN A STATEMENT. FOURTEEN NEW ARTIST RECORDS WERE SET, INCLUDING ONES FOR A PHOTOGRAPH BY ANSEL ADAMS, LUCAS SAMARAS, ANDY WARHOL AND HARRY CALLAHAN. ADAMS' 'CLEARING WINTER STORM, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK', A MOODY BLACK AND WHITE MURAL-SIZE PRINT OF THE PARK'S RUGGED, ROCKY TERRAIN, SOLD FOR $722,500. IT SHATTERED THE PREVIOUS AUCTION RECORD OF $609,600 FOR HIS 'MOONSHINE, HERNANDEZ NEW MEXICO', FROM 1941, SET IN 2006. 'CLEARING WINTER STORM' HAD BEEN ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR $300-500,000. THE RECORD FOR SAMARAS WAS FOR HIS 'ULTRA-LARGE (HANDS)' A MURAL-SIZE POLAROID COLOUR PRINT THAT WENT FOR $194,500. IT WAS TAKEN WITH A 40in BY 80in POLAROID, AND IMMENSE CAMERA THAT REQUIRED THE ASSISTANCE OF SEVERAL TECHNICIANS. THE PREVIOUS SAMARAS RECORD WAS $132,000 FOR 'TRANSFORMATION: EYEGLASSES', SET IN 1989. AUCTION RECORDS FOR A PHOTOGRAPH BY WARHOL WERE BROKEN TWICE. 'SELF-PORTRAIT (EYES CLOSED)' SOLD FOR $254,500, SURPASSING AN EARLIER RECORD OF $145,500 FOR 'SELF PORTRAIT (GRIMACE)', A UNIQUE LARGE-FORMAT POLAROID POLACOLOR PRINT. A NON-POLAROID WORK, CALLAHAN'S 'CHICAGO (TREES IN SNOW), SOLD FOR $254,500, SURPASSING HIS PREVIOUS RECORD OF $168,000 FOR 'ELEANOR', A SUITE OF THREE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ARTIST'S WIFE. RECORD FOR PHOTOGRAPHS ALSO WERE SET FOR CHUCK CLOSE, ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG AND DAVID HOCKNEY, SOARING FOUR OR MORE TIMES ABOVE THEIR PRE-SALE ESTIMATES. SOTHEBY'S SAID THE PHOTOGRAPHS ON SALE, SELECTED FROM THE VAST 16,000 IMAGE POLAROID COLLECTION, CONTAINED THE LARGEST AND BEST COLLECTION OF WORKS BY ANSEL ADAMS TO EVER COME ON THE MARKET. ALL 1,000 WORKS WERE BEING SOLD BY PBE CORP, FORMALLY POLAROID CORP, WHICH BECAME A VICTIM NOT ONLY OF A CHANGING TECHNOLOGY BUT ALSO A $3.7 BILLION PONZI SCHEME IN 2005. PBE FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY, AND LAST YEAR A MINNESOTA BANKRUPTCY COURT APPROVED THE PARTIAL SALE OF THE COLLECTION TO HELP PAY OFF CREDITORS. THE POLAROID CAMERA CAME ON THE MARKET IN 1948, THE INVENTION OF EDWIN H LAND.

PHOTOGRAPHERS' GALLERY PRESENTS 'THE FAMILY AND THE LAND: SALLY MANN'

AN OUTSTANDING NEW EXHIBITION AT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS' GALLERY IN LONDON IS AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER SALLY MANN'S FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION IN THE UK. COMBINING SEVERAL SERIES FROM HER LONG PHOTOGRAPHIC CAREER, 'THE FAMILY AND THE LAND: SALLY MANN' REFLECTS MANN'S ARTISTIC IMPULSE TO DRAW ON THE WORLD AROUND HER AS SUBJECT MATTER. TEH 'FAMILY' ELEMENT OF THE TITLE COMPRISES MANN'S EARLY SERIES 'IMMEDIATE FAMILY' AND THE NEWER SERIES 'FACES', BOTH OF WHICH DEPICT HER CHILDREN AT VARIOUS AGES. THE SERIES DEEP SOUTH REPRESENTS THE LANDSCAPE, PORTRAYING IMAGES MADE ACROSS THE SOUTH. THE MORE RECENT BODY OF WORK, 'WHAT REMAINS' BRINGS TOGETHER BOTH STRANDS OF THE EXHIBITION, THROUGH ITS EXAMINATION OF HOW BODIES, AS THEY DECOMPOSE, MERGE INTO THE LAND ITSELF. SALLY MANN FIRST GAINED PROMINENCE FOR 'IMMEDIATE FAMILY' A SERIES OF INTIMATE AND REVEALING PORTRAITS OF HER THREE YOUNG CHILDREN, EMMETT, JESSIE AND VIRGINIA. TAKEN OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD, MANN DEPICTS THEM PLAYING, SWIMMING AND ACTING TO THE CAMERA IN AND AROUND THEIR HOMESTEAD IN LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA. BORN OUT OF A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS BETWEEN MOTHER AND CHILD, THE WORK ENCAPSULATES THEIR CHILDHOOD IN ALL ITS RAWNESS AND INNOCENCE. MANN FOLLOWED 'IMMEDIATE FAMILY' BY FOCUSING ON THE LAND ITSELF IN HER SERIES 'DEEP SOUTH'. HERE SHE IS DRAWN TO LOCATIONS STEEPED IN HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE FROM THE CIVIL WAR, WHICH LEFT BOTH LITERAL AND METAPHORIC SCARS ON THE TREES AND THE LAND ITSELF. USING ANTIQUE CAMERAS AND PROCESSES THROUGHOUT, MANN ACCENTUATES THE SENSE OF AGE IN THE SUBJECT WHILE EMBRACING THE IMPERFECT EFFECTS CREATED BY HER PRINTING PROCESS. 'WHAT REMAINS' SEEKS TO FURTHER CONNECT HUMAN CONTACT TO THE LAND AND HOW THE BODY EVENTUALLY RETURNS TO AND BECOMES A PART OF THE LAND ITSELF. THIS CONCEPT LED MANN TO PHOTOGRAPH DECOMPOSING CADAVERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH FACILITY, KNOXVILLE, WHERE HUMAN DECOMPOSITION IS STUDIED IN A VARIETY OF, MAINLY OUTDOOR, SETTINGS. WHAT REMAINS SEALS DIRECTLY WITH THE SUBJECT OF DEATH, STILL A SOCIAL TABOO. AS WITH HER OTHER WORK, MANN'S SUBJECTS ARE SENSITIVELY HANDLED AND BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED, ENCOURAGING US TO REFLECT UPON OUR OWN MORTALITY AND PLACE WITHIN NATURE'S ORDER. IN THE MOST RECENT SERIES 'FACES', MANN TURNS THE CAMERA ONCE MORE ON HER CHILDREN. CLOSING IN ON THEIR FACES AND USING SEVERAL MINUTES OF EXPOSURE TIME, THESE WORKS ACT AS A COMMEMORATION OF THE LIVING. AGAIN MANN TAKES THE ACCIDENTAL DRIPS AND MARKS BY THE WET COLLODIAN PROCESS AND MAKES THEM A KEY FEATURE OF HER WORK.