Paul Strand exhibit in England --

[pentaxpete]

I went to the V&A Museum in Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London to see the American Paul Strand exhibition and attend the free lecture -- it was £ 8 for 'Seniors' to get into the Exhibition. Well, his prints were mostly quite SMALL in Window Mounts BUT very darkly printed !! If I put in a print as dark as that at Brentwood Photographic Club the Judge would have slated the print quality !
He also had done some cine films which were showing. He had travelled widely taking lots of 'people' pics. He started in about 1912 and got in with Edward Steichen who published lots of his photo in 'Aperture' Magazine -- I bet if you can FIND an ORIGINAL 'Aperture' magazine in a Charity Shop it will be worth a lot ! I wish I knew how he could afford to go all around taking photos i different countries with his huge cameras which were on display -- how did he afford the travel ? Well, on the way out there was the usual 'SHOP' and on display was a sample 'modern done' print from one of Strand's original negatives -- about 11x14 " in a 20x16" Window Mount and much lighter -- you also got a book for -- wait for it -- £ 1450 !!

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

American Paul Strand exhibition and attend the free lecture -- it was £ 8 for 'Seniors' to get into the Exhibition.

So, was it free or did you pay £8 to enter?

a sample 'modern done' print from one of Strand's original negatives -- about 11x14 " in a 20x16" Window Mount and much lighter -- you also got a book for -- wait for it -- £ 1450 !!

That's how he could afford the travel!

 

[pentaxpete]

Ricardo : It was £8 to see the photos but you could go into the Lecture for Free -- he died in the 1950's in France so the big fees for modern prints from his negs must go to the printer ( I forgot the name but he was 'Foreign') or maybe some cash to the decendants.

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

Dear Peter,
I was suggesting that he was charging similar high prices in his time.

 

[pdeeh]

Mr strand was decidedly anticapitalist ...

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

Mr strand was decidedly anticapitalist ...

It seems my early premise was wrong.

 

[chgofrank]

Paul Strand died in 1976 in France. He left the USA in the late 1940s after the New York Photo League was blacklisted by the US Dept. of Justice. Paul Strand was an active member and instructor in the League for many years. Other League members had their careers ruined by their association with the League. I think Strand though he should get out before he had to go through any interrogations or see his career discredited.

 

[charlemagne]

I saw the exhibition as well. It was beautiful! And there were A LOT of photographs.

I also noticed that Strand's prints look dark compared to modern prints - if I remember correcly it were all vintage prints. A photographer from an older generation told me that they used more light in the past to exhibit photographs. And the V&A now uses less light for exhibiting vintage material, of course, to avoid damage to the photographic material.

 

[RSalles]

Paul Strand is a truly master IMO, if I could name 5 photographers with essential work I would counter him inn.
Glad to know you've see the film he made in Mexico, it's beautiful! About the price tag of his work, I know nothing, it's a pocket deepness relate question, so the Mercedes S600.

Cheers,

Renato