POLAROID
[IM]POSSIBLE
THE WESTLICHT COLLECTION
17.06.2011 - 28.08.2011
When the legendary Polaroid Collections of Europe & the USA were put on the market by the liquidators dealing with the assets of the insolvent company and they were going to be auctioned off by Sotheby’s New York, this caused a public outcry on the international photography circuit. Lead by Chuck Close, artists, museums and photo aficionados worldwide protested against the sale of the collection. At the last minute, WestLicht managed to take over the European part of the collection and save it from being dispersed. Founded by Erwin Land in the 1960s this unique historic collection encompasses 4400 pieces by 800 international artists.
The exhibition will present a selection of masterpieces by well-known names such as Ansel Adams and Andy Warhol- a first cross section of this extraordinary corpus. A further addition to the show will be the works of contemporary artists, such as Nobuyoshi Araki and Daido Moriyama, that have been working with the new Impossible instant image material. An astonishing range of innovative artistic processes outlines the specific originality and magic of instant photography. The cameras and film types, especially the fascinating large formats of 50x60cm will equally be outlined in the exhibition.
Accompanying the show a catalogue will be published FROM POLAROID TO IMPOSSIBLE / MASTERPIECES OF INSTANT PHOTOGRAPHY – THE WESTLICHT COLLECTION by Hatje Cantz (Ed. Achim Heine, Rebekka Reuter, Ulrike Willingmann; German-Englisch, 192 Pages, approx. 200 Color images, bound with protective sleeve, € 39,80).
Closer description of the publication
The exhibition will be opened for WestLicht tenth anniversary.
With works by Ansel Adams, Nobuyoshi Araki, Edouard Boubat, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Paul Caponigro, Lucien Clergue, Charles Eames, Walker Evans, Franco Fontana, Joan Fontcuberta, Gisèle Freund, Toto Firma, Luigi Ghirri, Ralph Gibson, Sam Haskins, Robert Heinecken, Gottfried Helnwein, Paul Huf, Yousuf Karsh, Les Krims, David Levinthal, Sally Mann, Robert Mapplethorpe, Mary Ellen Mark, Will McBride, Daido Moriyama, Mark Morrisroe, Helmut Newton, Vicki Lee Ragan, Robert Rauschenberg, Jan Saudek, Fazal Sheikh, Stephen Shore, Jeanloup Sieff, Aaron Siskind, Oliviero Toscani, Ulay, Andy Warhol, William Wegman, Minor White and others.
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Oliviero Toscani Andy Warhol with camera 1974, Polaroid Type 105 3¼ x 4¼" © Oliviero Toscani
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Bruce Charlesworth Untitled 1979, Polaroid SX-70 © Bruce Charlesworth
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Lucien Clergue Le Cerf Volant, Bretagne 1984, Polaroid SX-70 © Lucien Clergue
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled (Diane) c . 1974,Polaroid Type 55 P/N 4 x 5" © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
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Charles Eames Untitled 1975, Polaroid SX-70 © Eames Office, LLC
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William Wegman Untitled 1987, Polaroid Polacolor 20 x 24" © William Wegman
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Ansel Adams Yosemite Falls 1979, Polaroid SX-70 © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust
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Helmut Newton Untitled 1976, Polaroid SX-70 © Helmut Newton Estate
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Nobuyoshi Araki Untitled 2010, PX 100 Silver Shade © Nobuyoshi Araki
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Paul Huf Untitled 1977, Polaroid Type 808 8 x 10" © Paul Huf/ VBK Wien, 2011
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Luigi Ghirri AMSTERDAM 1980, Polaroid Polacolor 20 x 24 © Eredi di Luigi Ghirri
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David Levinthal From the Vietnam Series 2011, PX 600 Silver Shade Black Frame © David Levinthal
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Peter Beard Untitled 1987, Polaroid Polacolor Multiple exposure 20 x 24" © Peter Beard
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Auke Bergsma Red stockings 1980, Polaroid SX-70 © Auke Bergsma
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Gottfried Helnwein Untitled 1987, Polaroid Polacolor 20 x 24" © Gottfried Helnwein/ VBK Wien, 2011
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Robert Rauschenberg Untitled 1987, Polaroid Polacolor 20x24" © Untitled Press Inc. / VBK, Wien 2011
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Mary Ellen Mark Untitled 1987, Polaroid Spectra © Mary Ellen Mark
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Patrick Nagatani Cinema II, detail from the image: Alamogordo blues 1986, Polaroid Spectra © Patrick Nagatani
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Andy Warhol ANDY SNEEZING 1978 Polaroid SX-70 © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc. / VBK, Wien 2011
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Les Krims Happy Easter Christians! 1978, Polaroid SX-70 © Les Krims
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