A Photographer's Gallery

A Photographer's Gallery (March 1955 - 1957), 48 West 85th street, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2479/is_n4_v24/ai_19102849/pg_4 Melissa Rachleff, "Afterimage", Jan-Feb 1997.] ] New York, opened by Roy Decarava, was an early effort to gain recognition for photography as an art form. [Michael R. Peres, "The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography", The Focal Press, 2007, pp249-250. ISBN 0240807405] It exhibited art photogaphy intended for walls in homes, and offices, along with paintings.

Exhibitions at A Photographer's Gallery lasted 4 to 6 weeks, unusual at the time. The gallery's director, Anne DeCarava, aka Kurakin, believed short term exhibitions were inadequate since the artist's work prior to an exhibition required costly and time consuming preparation, and additionally an emotional investment.

There were one-man exhibitions; but most of the time the gallery featured group shows so as to give the newer and as yet undiscovered photographers the opportunity to show, and to interact with others in the field.

Some of the photographers participating in the gallery, in addition to Roy DeCarava, were: Berenice Abbott, Hugh Bell, Hal Berg, Ruth Bernhard, Lou Bernstein, Harry Callahan, Van Deren Coke, Rufus Graham, Sid Grossman, Scott Hyde, Raymond Jacobs, Art Kane, Harry Lapow, [ [http://www.harrylapow.com/Bio.html harrylapow.com] ] Leon Levenstein, Ralph Eugene Meatyard (whose national career was established by his exhibition at the gallery), [Cynthia Young, "Ralph Eugene Meatyard"] Jay Maisel, Lisette Model, David Vestal, Dan Weiner, Minor White, and Tad Yamashiro.

There were other participating photographers, but unfortunately the guest book that contained all exhibition invitations (and signatures of guests) was recently lost. Invitations to the exhibitions were usually designed by the photographer being exhibited. However, Roy DeCarava designed several invitations, since he had an extensive graphic arts background. His scratchboard renderings of Movado Watch ads, secured that account for the advertising agency that employed him.

The gallery was housed in a traditional New York City brownstone building on the ground level, and had its own entrance. This was an apartment that Anne and Roy deCarava converted utilizing more than convert|500|sqft|m2 of white walls, with a tall free-standing room divider, that added considerably more gallery wall space. They lived in the rear rooms of the apartment, though that was not apparent to gallery visitors.

This arrangement enabled them to support the gallery inasmuch as sales were slight and prints sold for very little. However, a seasonal group show designed to encourage the purchase of signed, and sometimes numbered, photographic prints for Christmas gifts was exceptionally successful.

Ms. DeCarava felt commissions had to be low, and she recalls it was probably 10% or less of the sale price. Roy DeCarava, always highly prolific, produced most of his best work during this period while also holding a 9 to 5 job in an ad agency. Therefore, his participation in the gallery was always minimal, though always helpful and important.

While working for the acceptance of photography as a fine-art medium, she and a close friend (B. Slaff) came up with the idea to exhibit photographs by well known painters. Personal invitations were sent to: Richard Pousette Dart, Henry Koerner, Man Ray, Ben Shahn, Charles Sheeler, Maurice Utrillo, and Lucie Valadon. An ambitious attempt was made to contact Pablo Picasso (though his dealer, Sidney Janis, regretfully cautioned, "Picasso does not open his mail.")

Due to a personal decision to separate, the gallery closed its doors June, l957.

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