Claudio Edinger gallerist Bonni Benrubi interviewed, owner of the Bonni Benrubi Gallery in New York. The gallery has a focus on contemporary photography and represents classics like Andreas Feininger, Louis Stettner, Lewis Hine and Robert Frank. Besides the contemporary Abelardo Morell, Massimo Vitali, Simon Norfolk and Matthew Pillsbury.

Interview kindly translated Clicio Barroso.

© Abelardo Morell

How did your interest in photography and how you met Daniel Wolf, who is one of the pioneers of the photographic market in New York? How long worked together, and how was this experience?

I studied art history at Boston University, Harvard and the Boston Museum School, with emphasis on the history of photography and contemporary art. I wanted to be an art dealer since 16 years old, a book about Joseph Duveen inspired me the idea of art and commerce, which has always fascinated me.

I graduated in 1975 and worked for the Blum Helman Gallery in NYC for 2 years. Irving Blum was a pioneer in contemporary art, and he taught me to understand this art, to trust his vision, and also taught me to sell it. As I still wanted to be dealing with photos, then in 1977 started working for the Daniel Wolf Gallery, only one of the first dedicated to photography. I worked there for ten years, the last time that the gallery. Daniel closed the gallery after having successfully suggested that the Getty Museum began a collection of photographs. The Getty Museum, at the time, in 1987, paid $ 25 million for Daniel put together a collection of photos from around the world. Today, 22 years later, this collection is worth over a billion dollars.

Daniel was a long time outside the gallery, which allowed me to learn all the nuances of the business through trial and error. It was a "Wild West" where everything was allowed - we were dealing with all aspects related to environment, pictures of the 19th and 20th centuries, and contemporary photos. We had the opportunity to work with multiple masters: Garry Winogrand, Eliot Porter, Tod Papageorge, Lee Friedlander, and so on.

It was the childhood of this metier, and had only a few other (5) entirely dedicated to photo galleries. Today in New York (including Brooklyn) have more than three hundred photo galleries!

When and how you opened your gallery, set up the business alone or you have partners?

Daniel closed the gallery in February 1987, shortly after the announcement of negotiations with the Getty. I had to fend for herself as an independent dealer of many artists' Wolf - Arnold Newman, Andreas Feininger, etc.. I had no money, but had a lot of contacts and clients. I set up an office at the back of another office and worked with appointment; my gallery began only five years later, in 1992.

What essentially changed in the last 32 years you are in this métier?

The market has changed from A to Z during that time, the changes have been huge and deep, and early photographs were hardly considered viable, and the prices were very low. All the criticism in the newspapers ended with the question "but is that the photographs are art?"

Today photographs are accepted, integrated into the art market and sought by all.

How many prints are sold through galleries in the U.S. each year? What makes people want to buy photographs to integrate their collections?

We represent artists who are very solid and stable, whose prices are fair, just our volume is high enough. I would say we sell between 500 and 1,000 copies per year. The photography market is huge, I estimate that around 200,000 copies are sold each year (all categories together) ... billions of dollars in photos ... people buy because they feel a connection, a passion, and relate with photos (at least some) is much easier (than with contemporary art). It has also been a fantastic investment. Pictures sold for a thousand dollars ten years ago are now selling for ten times this value.

When the market changed direction by changing collections of painting and sculpture collections of photography, and why?

The market for photography really exploded in the late 80th - prices increased dramatically and the media began to devote more time to discuss photography.

How do you select artists for your gallery? How did Abelardo Morell and Massimo Vitali , and how much effort (if necessary) you spent to get these two big names?

I select the artists who show based on my own instincts and pleasure, I lay out the ones I personally like to collect. When I was introduced to Abelard by his colleague in 1992 I immediately knew that this man was a genius!

Massimo Vitali knew when I saw his work in another gallery at the fair Paris Photo in 1997. We met and started working together in the same year. When I met these two artists they were not "big stars", we built it together.

© Massimo Vitali

The market believes that you belong to old prints, as opposed to contemporary works? And who are the stars, the best sellers in both types?

Our focus has really become more contemporary today, so I'm not so tied in earlier work, but I think this market include the great Walker Evans Robert Frank, Irving Penn, Man Ray, Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz, Steichen in 20th century. Artists of the 19th century include Le Gray, Talbot, Negre, Watkins. And the contemporary world, besides my artists, says Cindy Sherman, Sugimoto, Gursky.

The photographer has to use a large format machine to be included in the circuit of galleries? What is needed for a photographer to survive in this highly competitive world of photography?

No need (using wide-format machine), but most photographers I work with uses large-format film. There is now a concern in using color and also "bigger is better" (higher is better). This is a competitive market full of fads, and I think the economy in recession will separate the men from the boys, and in the coming years we will witness the correction of any deviations

Why a job as the diptych "99 cents" Gursky's sells for $ 3 million? He is overvalued, undervalued or are other photographers?

I think the correction of which I spoke will make these issues clearer, many artists will disappear and others will emerge. It will be interesting to see how our time will affect what is being produced, what is desired, and what will remain over time.

How long the images of one million dollars will be quite common?

Images of a million dollars are common for major and rare masterpieces of all ages, there is a limited amount of pictures that are like that.

You know some examples of people who invested in photographs in the 80s and now are, say, swimming in money?

Yes, but usually these are people who bought with the heart and not to speculate, is that still keeps us your photos!

Participate in fairs like Paris Photo, AIPAD, SP Art / Photo, etc.. is the best way to survive in our business?

Our gallery is not dependent on art fairs because we are in New York City, in one form or another all collectors end up coming to NY to see art. On the other hand we have a huge fixed cost competitiveness and absurd. That said, Paris Photo, AIPAD and other fairs have been a big asset for the growth of our business, providing our artists all kinds of opportunities.

Where the photographic market is going and who, in his opinion today is producing the most interesting work (besides their own artists, of course)?

I think men are separated from the boys at the moment, and only the strong will survive. There will be a greater appreciation of the lesser-known artists, some in half career will resurface, and the market will have less and less influence of speculative fads. There are many wonderful artists working today, like Cindy Sherman, Thomas Demand, Emmet Gowin, David Lachapelle, Vik Muniz. New stars and stars of the 80s will be recognized.