Roger Eberhard made pictures of long passed-by places. I wrote about
his series of pictures published in a book called “Wilted Country”.
Now Mr. Eberhard has been kind to give one of the book’s signature
images for the Eastman House Benefit Auction. It depicts an abandoned
sign for GAS, barely visible in the artist’s construction and an apt
notion of an increasingly faint source of energy.

Roger Eberhard, Untitled (“Gas), 2007, from the series and publication “Wilted Country”

Wind and other elements, sand and weed, snow and rain, seed and

other
living things, do pass freely now through the abandoned
locations. But people do not pass by very often. Perhaps on occasion,
I wrote. If they pass, and if they look, perhaps they wonder. Maybe
someone who recognizes potential, who has a feeling for history and
appreciation for redemption stops and considers.

Eberhard did. He stopped and produced some haunting images. And we
now, his audience, we stop in fascination.Through the artist’s vision
these abandoned places are transformed. The sign remains in Eberhard’s
picture. Maybe the GAS sign has disappeared out there on the prairie.

The photographer has left his sign too and in some ways just as
fugitively. His images, burnt out by a rural sun, occupy just a faint
edge of perception. But it is enough for our appreciation and
memorialization. And we are grateful to offer it in our October 3
auction.

Water and it’s elemental forces have always been, artistic indicators for self-experience and self-loss. Images of the ocean determine the iconographic nature of the history of art. The sea has remained to this day one of the archetypal natural landscapes of our planet and therefore has not lost any of its enchantment.  The ocean: a collective metaphor and a space of projection for our longings and desires. Therefore, on first encounter, Renate Aller’s Oceanscapes appear so familiar to us. What we are seeing is nothing new, but how it is presented to us is what makes the difference.

Renate Aller, from the series ‘Oceanscapes: One View, Ten Years’, 2008.  The photographer captured this Long Island viewpoint over the decade.

With an eye for detail and an accomplished technique, Aller knows how to capture the full chromatic spectrum of nature in all its breathtaking variety. In some images, there is an interplay of clouds and reflections on the surface of the water. In others, the roughened surface of the ocean transforms itself into a metallic sandy desert, a silvery moonscape, a glittering diamond field, or a crusted icy plane. It is the light, above all else, giving the images their powerful color and creating unique textures.

The ever-changing horizon in the individual pieces reminds us of the swaying amplitude in a piece of music. Aller’s ocean compositions appear to be visualizing the universal rhythms of life: ebb and tide, coming and going, life and death – an endless melody. She constructs mental images and raises sensory issues highly reminiscent of the ideology and concepts of the 19th century with her sublime oceanscapes. Something of the sublimity of the great romantic landscape paintings, especially those of Caspar David Friedrich clearly oscillates in her iconography of melancholy and silence. The absence of Friedrich’s familiar rear-view figure demands an even greater need for the active presence of the viewer.

Aller’s works present us with visual experiences of striking activity, in which landscape becomes the stage: nature performs it’s dramatic spectacle of life and death – everything  is in a permanent process of renewal. Her point of view is as well renewed at every moment. In her opinion it is unavoidable and necessary that humans adapt constantly and akin to their environment. Therefore she will, most likely, never stop the creation of these impressive images of the ocean.

Editor’s note: In conjunction with our upcoming Auction this fall , a series of  guest bloggers will be sharing an in-depth look at some of the artist’s works featured in this year’s event.  Read Auction Coorinator Olivia Arnone’s kickoff blog here.

Spring Greetings!

George Eastman House returns to NYC to host benefit auction this fall

With the success of our 2010 Auction and the need to be find creative, proactive ways to fundraise, we had to ask ourselves, how could we NOT? Last year’s online and live auctions featured more than 300 photographs, books and cameras donated by artists, collectors and dealers, and ultimately raised more than $650,000— constituting the largest fundraiser in our museum’s history. Thank you so much to all of you out there who helped support the auction by contributing or bidding, or even just spreading the word. Every bit of participation has helped maintain our collections, educational programs and Landmark museum site— ensuring the continued preservation of these works for years to come.

What is in store for our 2011 Auction, you ask?

Our live auction and reception will be held Monday, Octg. 3 at Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, a Mecca of art galleries, museums, restaurants, boutiques and markets. Denise Bethel, Senior Vice President and Director of Photographs at Sotheby’s, New York will once again bring vigor and grace to the event as our auctioneer. Accompanying the live auction at 7 p.m., there will be an online auction, a two-day preview exhibition, and a series of conversations with artists to kick off the event beginning on Sunday, Oct. 2.

So far, more than 175 artists, dealers and collectors have agreed to participate. Among the offerings are works by veterans of photography like Vik Muniz, Barbara Morgan, Larry Towell, George Tice, Carl Chiarenza, and F.C Gundlach, as well as works by mid-career and emerging artists- Brian Ulrich, Roger Eberhard and Doug Menuez, to name a few. There will also be another Kodak Colorama up for bid in the live auction!

In the coming months I will be bringing you updates and highlights, and will also be inviting guest bloggers to talk in depth about some of the artist’s works featured in this year’s auction. In closing, and until my next post, here is a sneak peek of a work by one of our 2011 contributing artists:

Amy Stein, Threat from the series “Domesticated”, 2005

Our popular Wish You Were Here Travel Photography Lecture Series is celebrating 10 years with the beginning of a new season next month. While looking over the list of the more than 60 photographers who have spoken to our audiences at the Museum, I couldn’t help but notice how many of these artists were generous contributors to our Benefit Auction.

I know those of you who have been transported around the globe during their talks will recognize some of these names:

John Sexton, Steve McCurry, Ed Kashi, John Pfahl, Douglas Kirkland, Sally Mann, Larry Towell, Elliot Erwitt, Jonathan Moller, Gerd Ludwig, Joel Meyerowitz, Ben Fernandez, Chris Usher, Denis Defibaugh, David Plowden, Teru Kuwayama, John Divola, Douglas Menuez, Sylvia Plachy, and Stephen Wilkes.

Todd Hido, #2632, 1996. From the series Househunting.

And for everyone who has seen Andrew Moore and Todd Hido’s amazing photographs, they are also representing at the Auction and will both be at Eastman House this fall/winter as part of the series.

Editor’s Note:  You can read more about Andrew Moore in Olivia\’s August 10th blog.

As many of you know, I have been blogging about our Benefit Auction for months… and now and it’s finally here! There’s still alot to do as you can see from these pics below, but it’s really been coming together. We’re thrilled about the response the Auction has gotten so far….from photo lovers as well as some ‘related’ interests’ we’ll be highlighting in upcoming posts.  In the meantime, join me for some backstage unpacking:

Shhh… be very, very quiet… auction of American painting happening about 30 feet away

One of the two colorama prints in the live auction (safely tucked away!)  awaiting hanging

One portion of the online auction contents being sorted in preparation for hanging

And don’t forget…our Online Auction is going on right now!!!

Editor’s Note: You can see the latest behind-the-scenes pics on our Sotheby\’s Benefit Auction Facebook Photo Album.