Open Road by Austin Kleon

Happy Tuesday, collectors! Today we're adding two new prints to Austin Kleon's arsenal of wise and witty wordsmithings. That there are now eight editions available is testament to Austin's ceaseless creativity, as well as our inability to keep up with him. This writer who draws, after all, has filled a book of Blackout Poems and has another tome on the way. His much anticipated How to Steal Like an Artist won't hit the shelves till March 2012, but you can pre-order a copy (or a few, they're a ridiculous deal at $5.82!).

For faster gratification, I present to you now: How To Be Cool and Open Road. As Austin himself says, "Black(out) goes with everything. [And] art is the best gift you can give." As you know, we whole-heartedly agree. So, might I suggest that these two prints are best for your most difficult to shop for—namely the dudes and lone rangers that you adore? Ante up because, like Austin's other editions, I'm guessing these won't last for long.

If you're seeking instant inspiration: Watch and listen to Austin's insights here. Or read two recent interviews here and here. Hope that tides you over till tomorrow!

— Sara

Hello, collectors! Goofiness aside, I sent fair warning yesterday that you'd be due to hear from me again, and soon. So, here I am with another just-in-time-for-the-season-that's-upon-us edition.

Food Sign is our newest print by sometimes-Houston, Texas-based and sometimes-Bozeman, Montana-bound photographer Bryan Schutmaat. Between his two homes, Bryan navigates the territory found in the center of the United States, the Heartland, a wide space that many of us also hail from. As the holidays approach, we'll find ourselves returning from East or West Coasts, seeking friends, family and finding both familiar and foreign sights, and maybe, probably, realizing that it's possible to also, like Bryan, have two homes—the one you come from and the one you live in now (I know that I do).

In his photos—of which we've featured a few in addition to Food Sign: Train Yard, Lumber Mill and Arrow—Bryan captures this state, a gap of sorts between time and space, further stalled and distilled by his camera. Youngna Park aptly described it when introducing Train Yard and Lumber Mill as "departure points for objects and people headed elsewhere. They pause, not knowing where they are going next, transformed by forces beyond their own control—off to become part of a larger story yet to be told."

Before I go, one note of importance for photographers:
The deadline for our photography competition Hey, Hot Shot! has been extended. You now have until Monday, November 21st, at 11:59 p.m. ET, to submit your work for a shot at $10,000 (!!!), a solo show at Jen Bekman Gallery and two years of gallery representation.

— Sara

Lisa Congdon's Reindeer, an elegantly clad, familiar creature,
Rings in the season of giving and lots more art to be featured,
The upcoming abundance of editions in your inbox,
Will make much nicer presents than sweaters, ties or socks.

So don't wait till the moon over new-fallen snow,
Gives the luster of mid-day to objects (above and) below.
Because to your wondering eyes might (also) appear,
A miniature sleigh and eight (not just one) tiny reindeer...

But by then, it will be much, much too late,
To give your nearest and dearest something really great.
Like this Icelandic-inspired work by dear
San Francisco-based Lisa who you can read about here and listen to here.

With that it is time, for me to disappear,
But I'll be back soon (sans terrible rhymes) never fear.

— Sara

Bonjour, mes amis! It's another gorgeous day in Paris, and there's much to look forward to in the next few days. Today will almost certainly be overflowing with photo finds—first we'll head over to the Grand Palais for a wander through Paris Photo, and I expect to end our day loaded down with acquisitions from the Offprint book fair. (We might even squeeze in a visit to Karl Lagerfeld's rumored-to-be-fabulous Librairie 7L.) Butterflies are also building for tomorrow evening's big event, when we'll be joining Susan Meiselas and John Jacob at the Magnum Gallery to celebrate the release of today's editions: Bal d'Hiver, Paris, 1955. Cynthia Balfour rehearsing "Fire Vanquished by Snow." + Bal d'Hiver, Paris, 1955. Cynthia Balfour, back to camera, and Baroness de Cabrol., both from a series of recently discovered images captured over a half-century ago by the renowned photographer Inge Morath.

As with the first editions that we presented with the Magnum Foundation, proceeds from these prints will directly benefit the Magnum Foundation's Legacy Program, as well as the Inge Morath Foundation. The photographs themselves are quite a change of pace from our inaugural collaboration with the MF, a pair of Paul Fusco photographs from his RFK Funeral Train series, but it's equally thrilling to have the opportunity to share this work with our collectors.

Morath was quite the trailblazer: A multi-lingual, globe-trotting iconoclast, she was the second female photographer to join Magnum photos. Her storied career spanned decades, and she spent the later years of her life in the United States with her husband and collaborator Arthur Miller. The foundation preserves her legacy, and its annual grant, the $5,000 Inge Morath Award, paves a path for this generation's gutsy female documentary shooters.

A bit about the photos themselves, starting with Ms. Morath's description of the event she was documenting:

The Paris social season opened with a big, elegant splash last Tuesday. The Baronne de Gabrol, President of ESSOR, an association for the protection of France’s abandoned children, sponsored the Winter Ball, at which some of the most distinguished names in Europe amused themselves for the benefit of needy children.

—Inge Morath, Paris, 1955

In my web wanderings as I wrote this newsletter, I discovered that Paris continues to host an annual Bal d'Hiver. (Although Sara and I are not entirely convinced that it's been the same organization hosting all along.) In a funny coincidence, this year's ball is happening just two days from now, which had me indulging in a Cinderella fantasy moment, imagining the two of us dashing around to find just the right thing to wear. But finding the "latest fashion in Paris this winter 1861" on such short notice seems utterly impossible. Besides, we all know that tomorrow night's Magnum soiree is the event to attend this weekend, right?

If you're not lucky enough to be in Paris this weekend, there are plenty of other places to see more images from the series, many of which are reachable from the comfort of your armchair:

Online:
TIME Lightbox recently featured a gorgeous slideshow of these images, Dancing Queens: Lost Images from a Grand Ball. (Our very own Don Hamerman was featured on Lightbox recently, as well; Found and Photographed: Baseballs at Barrett Park.)

In Print:
The current issue of Esopus Magazine*, Fall 2011, features Bal d'Hiver, Paris, 1955. Cynthia Balfour rehearsing "Fire Vanquished by Snow." on its front cover and Bal d'Hiver, Paris, 1955. Cynthia Balfour, back to camera, and Baroness de Cabrol. on its back. Inside its pages is the gorgeous and inventive Bal d'Hiver photo essay. A selection of 20 photographs from the story are accompanied by facsimile reproductions of Morath’s texts for Magnum Photos, and a drop-out contact sheet is inserted into the magazine's pages. (So cool!)

Bal d'Hiver inaugurates a new series in Esopus, “Analog Recovery," co-presented with the Magnum Foundation and edited by John Jacob, who serves as director of both MF's Legacy Program and the Inge Morath Foundation. For each installment, Esopus will publish a recovered portfolio by one of the many acclaimed photographers who used the Magnum Photos analog distribution system.

In Person:
Inge Morath: Bal d’Hiver, an exhibition of large-scale images from the series, is on view at Esopus Space in New York City through December 15th.

And with that, I wind down my final dispatch from the city of light. Next time you hear from us, we'll be back stateside with tales to tell and, of course, with lots of amazing new art to share with all of you.

Au revoir till then!

— Jen

*Esopus, a gorgeous arts magazine that's published twice a year, is the creation of the talented Tod Lippy. Tod is someone I'm personally quite fond of, as well—he's been a supporter of and frequent visitor to the gallery since its earliest days, and he also happens to have been a recent Hey, Hot Shot! guest curator!

The Legacy Program of the Magnum Foundation
The Legacy Program is dedicated to preserving, interpreting and making accessible materials related to the history of Magnum Photos, and to the larger history of photography to which Magnum has uniquely contributed.

The Inge Morath Foundation
The Inge Morath Foundation was established in 2003 to facilitate the study and appreciation of Inge Morath’s contribution to photography. The Foundation serves as a public resource for the international community of scholars and curators, as well as general audiences interested in Morath’s work, and supports work in three program areas: Grants and Awards; Educational Programs; and Traveling Exhibitions.

The Inge Morath Award
An annual prize of $5,000 is awarded by the Magnum Foundation to a female documentary photographer under the age of 30, to support the completion of a long-term documentary project. One award winner and up to two finalists are selected by a jury composed of Magnum photographers.

Greetings from Paris! As Sara mentioned yesterday, we're here for Paris Photo and Friday's soiree in celebration of our second collaboration with our friends from Magnum Photos, a splendid pair of Inge Morath photographs that I'll be introducing to all of you tomorrow. Another highly anticipated event on this week's agenda: lunch at Le Fumoir with two incredibly talented photographers—Hot Shot, 20x200 and JBG artist Kurt Tong, who most kindly arranged this rendezvous, and Corinne Vionnet, creator of today's new edition, Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is but one fine example from Corinne's recently published and favorably reviewed monograph, Photo Opportunities, which offers a technologically-fueled visual critique of our image-junkie culture, her thousands of layered pictures speaking volumes more than thousands of words ever could.

With the Eiffel Tower and its attendant frenzy of photo-snapping just a short walk from the flat Sara and I rented here, the phenomenon Corinne's Photo Opportunities documents is very much on my mind. Ah, yes, the tourist-as-paparazzi is so aptly described by my friend Rob Walker in his blog post about the series for Design Observer. This irrepressible urge to photograph iconic places or things is something I've always found utterly exasperating. It's as if the idea of being somewhere is more important than the being there itself. (The resulting snaps are almost certainly not nearly as good as the images available at the gift shop located conveniently to your left as you exit.) It's also kinda fascinating, of course, and has been for ages. Mona Lisa and her tourist paparazzi posse is discussed extensively in John Berger's Ways of Seeing, first published in 1972. (Although, admittedly, he did not refer to them as a posse.)

All of this, of course, will prove fodder for an invigorating conversation when we meet. But, busy as she is of late, it turns out that lunch with Sara, Kurt and me at Le Fumoir isn't the only thing on Ms. Vionnet's Paris agenda. She'll be signing copies of her book later this week at the not-to-be-missed Offprint independent book fair, as well as at the big fair itself, Paris Photo:

Offprint, Paris
Location: Kehrer Verlag at Vice Versa stand
Friday November 11th, 2011, at 6:00 p.m.

Paris Photo:
Location: The Empty Quarter gallery, D02
Saturday, November 12th, at 4:30 p.m.

And with that, it's time for me to bid you au revoir till tomorrow. It's well past noon here, and nary a croissant has passed my lips yet today. Mon Dieu!

— Jen

Bonjour, collectors! Across the Atlantic though I may be, today's edition is timed in anticipation of a very American holiday—Thanksgiving, of course. While we take the time to recognize all of the people and things we're grateful for on that day in particular, it's a good habit to keep up year round and this print is a perfect reminder to do just that. If you'll be traveling to spend the holiday with friends and family afar, arrive with the perfect host(ess) gift tucked under your arm—Thank You speaks for itself: merci!

It's true: Thank You's creator, Trey Speegle, has a way with letters, words and the paint-by-number pictures and palettes he uses to create his work. So, if you're new to 20x200 or missed his past editions, check out YES (You Complete the Picture) and Can You Imagine. We've got more from Mr. Speegle lined up in the next few weeks, as well.

There's lots of great stuff in the hopper in the much nearer future, too—tomorrow we'll be sharing new work from Switzerland-based but Paris-bound-for-book-signings-over-the-weekend photographer Corinne Vionnet. And on Thursday we'll be celebrating the city of light, circa mid-century, with a pair of prints from Magnum photographer Inge Morath's recently uncovered photographs documenting the behind-the-scenes scene at the Bal d'Hiver. The elegant pictures will benefit both the Magnum Foundation and the Inge Morath Foundation. Stay tuned!

— Sara

Thursday greetings, collectors! With an autumnal chill in the air and November just off to a running start, it's apparently Christmas time already—according to my inbox, at least, which suddenly overfloweth with all kinds of enticements to give and to get before the holiday rush. It's a bit shocking, for sure, but not surprising; we've been talking about the holidays since the dog days of summer, believing as we do that art is the best gift of all. "Art's so personal, though, isn't it?," is what you might be thinking. To which I say: Absolutely! That's precisely why it's so perfect, but it's also why we think a lot about how to make it easier to choose for someone.

For instance, if you're looking for the perfect thing to get a fashionista friend or loved one, today's edition—our second print by the fearless Los Angeleno Tierney Gearon—would be a savvy choice. As Gearon's impressive CV amply illustrates, she's got firm footing as an unintentional art world provocateur and is among the handfull of in-demand shooters for the pages of the world's most well known style tomes.

Untitled 2010 bridges the two worlds she travels between so effortlessly. That bright blue sky and just-barely-this-side-of-over-the-top perfection infuses the image with an ever-so-slightly-otherworldly (Is it another planet? No, it's just LA.) quality that's present in much of Tierney's work. On the other hand, it's easy to imagine this stylish denizen perfectly at home in the spread of a more adventurous and edgy fashion magazine.

Now, I almost didn't type that last part for fear of making people anxious that something published in a magazine wouldn't qualify as art. But why not address that anxiety head on? Many of the most beloved art world darlings are shooting fashion (and, gasp!, commercially) and doing amazing things in that context. Our friends at Magnum have done several issues of their inventive Fashion Magazine (Alec's is my favorite). Juergen Teller's distinctive portraiture is deeply credible as both art (he's represented by the venerable Lehmann Maupin gallery) and commerce (hello, Marc Jacobs!). Examples are legion, and we've worked with plenty of artists who deftly navigate between the two. It was an enormous privilege to display my friend Tim Walker's gorgeous photographs at the gallery a few years back, and 20x200 edition-makers like Stefan Ruiz and the very new to the family Jessica Craig-Martin are also favorites among the fashion crowd.

Speaking of fashionable crowds, Ms. Distin and I are about to depart for an eagerly anticipated trip to France. Paris Photo is the focal point, but our schedule is positively brimming over with offshoot events and exhibitions. She'll be representing for Jen Bekman Projects as a reviewer at the second annual Lens Culture FotoFest portfolio reviews, and we're both very much looking forward to a Friday night's event in honor of our upcoming Inge Morath edition to benefit the Magnum Foundation, hosted at the Magnum gallery. Plus: Offprint, where we're sure to see many 20x200 artists and their work; a big Aperture opening; and, the best part, lots and lots of duck confit. (Good thing we're staying in a third-floor walk-up!)

And with that, I'll bid you adieu until next week's check-in from the other side of the pond. Bon weekend!

— Jen

Searching by Helena Wurzel

Happy Wednesday, collectors! It's my great pleasure to introduce you to a new-to-20x200 artist: Helena Wurzel. A painter and a teacher at Rhode Island School of Design, Helena is fully immersed in academia and art, but she colorfully, thoughtfully (and, at times, humorously) brings the often insular realms to all of us. She wowed not only me and Jen, but also MoMA's curator of painting and sculpture, Laura Hoptman, who selected her as a winner in the New American Paintings Northeastern competition.

In her curator's statement, Hoptman talks about pluralism and what's new versus what's relevant in contemporary art. It sounds dense, but, really, it boils down to a couple things that you all have probably already figured out: There's a lot going on in contemporary art right now—there's no one, big idea or movement that everyone's following, and a lot of the work artists are making today plainly references the art that was made before them.

Take Do I Look Expensive?, for example. Helena references renowned American artist Alex Katz, who is best known for creating elegant, highly-stylized (and, yes, very expensive) portraits, often featuring his wife, Ada. She's also inserted a brunette that often appears in her works; her black dress and gladiator-style sandals very firmly place her in the present.

Likewise, in Searching, references to contemporary culture pop up alongside those of the past—Sex in the City and Lost DVDs are scattered among issues of ARTFORUM and a Bonnard book. It all adds up to lots to think about in making, looking at and collecting art today—we're just scratching the surface! We can say for certain, though, this won't be the last you'll see from Ms. Helena Wurzel.

— Sara

[Update: Two limited-edition photographs from Inge Morath's Bal d'Hiver series, Bal d'Hiver, Paris, 1955. Cynthia Balfour rehearsing "Fire Vanquished by Snow." + Bal d'Hiver, Paris, 1955. Cynthia Balfour, back to camera, and Baroness de Cabrol., are now available, starting at $100 for the pair. Proceeds benefit the Magnum Foundation's Legacy Program and the Inge Morath Foundation.]

20x200 partners with remarkable organizations to bring collectors great art for a great cause. This month, we’re excited to be working with the Magnum Foundation again, this time to release a pair of prints from renowned photographer Inge Morath. Sales of the striking, black and white photographs will benefit Magnum’s Legacy Program, as well as the Inge Morath Foundation.

Sign up for the 20x200 newsletter (here!) to get automatic notification and first dibs on the prints when they are released on November 10th. While the exact images won’t be revealed until then, we’ll share a little bit more about Morath and why we’re so thrilled to be presenting her work.

The limited-edition photographs that will be featured on 20x200 were taken by Morath at the 1955 Bal d’Hiver, a charity ball in Paris. For the big event, European royalty donned spectacular costumes donated by couturiers, including Hubert de Givenchy and Christian Dior, to enact a dance on ice. Morath expertly captured all of the glorious details—of the costumes, and the celebrity guests—giving us all a peek into the realm of the mid-century, European social elite. The pair of prints to be offered on 20x200 feature the most elegant starlet of the evening. Other attendees included an international roster of celebrities, from the Countess d’Paris to film star Charlie Chaplin.

Princess Chavchavadze as Empress Catherine the Great, 1955 by Inge Morath © Inge Morath Foundation/Magnum Photo

Of Morath’s oeuvre, John Jacob—Director of the Magnum Foundation Legacy Program and Director of the Inge Morath Foundation—says, “If a thread can be said to run through her work from beginning to end, it is the marvel of human creativity, which Morath both recorded and exemplified in her photography.”

Inge Morath herself is perhaps best remembered for her intrepid nature. A friend of photographer Ernst Haas, she wrote articles to accompany his photographs and was invited by Robert Capa and Haas to Paris to join the newly founded Magnum agency as an editor. She began photographing in London in 1951, and assisted Henri Cartier-Bresson as a researcher in 1953-54. In 1955, after working for two years as a photographer, she became a Magnum member.

In the following years, Morath traveled extensively in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Her special interest in the arts found expression in photographic essays published by a number of leading magazines. After her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller in 1962, Morath settled in New York and Connecticut. She first visited the USSR in 1965. In 1972 she studied Mandarin and obtained a visa to China, making the first of many trips to the country in 1978.

Morath was at ease anywhere. Some of her most important work consists of portraits, but also of passers-by and celebrities. She was also adept at photographing places: Her pictures of Boris Pasternak's home, Pushkin's library, Chekhov's house, Mao Zedong's bedroom, artists' studios and cemetery memorials are permeated with the spirit of invisible people still present. Inge Morath died in New York City on January 30, 2002.

Upon his wife’s passing, Arthur Miller summed up Morath’s contributions to photography by telling the New York Times, “She made poetry out of people and their places over half a century.”

Princess Troubetzkoy, as Prince Youssoupoff, practices her bow to Ivan the Terrible, 1955 by Inge Morath © Inge Morath Foundation/Magnum Photo

The Inge Morath Foundation is dedicated to educational programs and traveling exhibitions encompassing Morath’s prolific career, and to providing awards, including an annual $5,000 grant for female photographers under the age of 30.

The Magnum Foundation's Legacy Program is dedicated to preserving, interpreting and making accessible materials related to the history of Magnum Photos, and to the larger history of photography to which Magnum has uniquely contributed.

Be sure to sign up for the 20x200 newsletter here to get first access to the prints and for more details about the partnership with Magnum Foundation and Inge Morath Foundation.