Archive for January, 2008

GO SEE: ARTISTS ANONYMOUS at Haunch of Venison, Zurich, January 25 – March 1

Thursday, January 31st, 2008


Artists Anonymous from “Virus” via Artists Anonymous

Artists Anonymous a group of artists from London and Berlin are currently exhibiting the final installment of their “Apocolyptic Warriors” series at Haunch of Venison in Zurich. Each multimedia exhibition includes painting, sculpture, photography, video and print.

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NEWSLINKS 1.31.08

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Aby Rosen via New York Social Diary

Real Estate Mogul/Collector Aby Rosen Silent Partner with Peter Brant in Art in America and Interview [The New York Post]
Spiral Jetty threatened by energy development [Arts Journal via C-monster]
MCA Chicago Director Joins Haunch of Venison, London [Art Forum]
UK Corporate Art Spending Reaches All Time High [Financial Times]
Gap’s Fischer Family to Start Negotiations Concerning San Francisco Art Museum [Bloomberg.com]
Lucian Freud Reportedly to Paint Portrait of Actor Jack Nicholson [The New York Post]
Brian McMaster Disputes Potential for Current UK Art Scene to Rival the Renaissance [Guardian Unlimited]

REM KOOLHAAS CHOSEN TO MODERNIZE HERMITAGE MUSEUM’S ART DISPLAYS

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Hermitage Museum via Wikipedia.com 

Dutch Architect Rem Koolhaas will redesign the art diplays at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia in an effort to update the almost 250 year-old institution. He is charged with creating a schema to display the nearly three million artworks and artifacts housed in the encylopedic museum’s 2000 rooms.

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GO SEE: MAURIZIO CATTELAN AT THE KUNSTHAUS BREGENZ IN AUSTRIA

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008


Maurizio Cattelan via C-Monster

Maurizio Cattelan’s latest exhibition will be on view at the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria, from February 2 until March 24. Cattelan, a highly original and controversial conceptual artist, settled in New York in 1993, but has lived and worked both in New York and Italy.

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Go See: Jasper Johns at Matthew Marks Gallery

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

                                                   Jasper Johns via Chelsea Art Galleries

Matthew Marks Gallery is hosting a new exhibition of Jasper John’s drawings from February, 2 until April, 12, 2008.  This will likely be one of the more significant shows the gallery will show this year.  The opening is 6PM, Friday Febuary 1st. 

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NEWSLINKS 1.29.08

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

Bond No. 9 via Portfolio

Bond No. 9 Captures “Essence” of Warhol with New Perfume [Portfolio]
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Photographer Taryn Simon Accesses Restricted Areas In Her Latest Book [The World's Best Ever]
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Gallery Owner, Lawrence Salander, Risks Eviction by Aby Rosen [bloomberg.com]
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Shepard Fairey Endorses Obama With Iconic Image [Cool Hunting]
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Shedding light on much hyped Sale: Hirst and White Cube Insured Diamond Skull, For the Love of God [The Art Newspaper]
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Art Cologne Drops Chief, Worries About Future [bloomberg.com]
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Proposed: World’s Largest Sculpture Garden in France [Art Forum]

5 OF THE BEST Cold sore remedies; THE virus which causes cold sores, Herpes Simplex, can be triggered by a number of factors including strong sunlight. . .Goodhealth. go to site cold sore remedies

Daily Mail (London) July 4, 2006 TESCO ACICLOVIR CREAM 2g [pounds sterling]3.49 The active ingredient, Aciclovir, may prevent a cold sore from developing and can help speed up the healing process and reduce pain.

From Tesco nationwide.

BOOTS DUALACTION LOTION 10ml [pounds sterling]2.45 For regular sufferers who want an alternative to medicated products. This soothes the pain and acts as an antiseptic. in our site cold sore remedies

From Boots nationwide.

LOMABRIT SALVE [pounds sterling]4.99 This lip salve contains lemon balm, which has antiviral properties. It also has sunscreen, a benefit as UV light is known to trigger sores.

From health food stores.

HBNER’S SILICEA LIP HERPES GEL 5g [pounds sterling]5.99 This works by preventing infection spreading further. The active ingredient, silica gel, dries the blisters. Call 01294 277344.

HOLLAND & BARRETT COLLODIAL SILVER 120ml [pounds sterling]12.99 Collodial silver is a powerful antibiotic.

From Holland & Barrett nationwide.

Go See: L.A.'s "Women in the City" backed by Broad Art, Pinault Foundation

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008


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“Women in the City” via The New York Times

Starting February 9, Emi Fontana’s lastest show takes art out of the galleries and into the city, displaying the breakthrough work of female artists including Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Louise Lawler and Cindy Sherman in more than fifty public locations throughout Los Angeles.

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What’s Happening at Interview Magazine and Art in America?

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008


Sandra Brant and Ingrid Sischy
Photo: via New York Observer

On January 23, Ingrid Sischy announced her resignation as editor-in-chief of Interview Magazine after 18 years at the helm.

Her decision came about after Sandra Brant, CEO and Publisher of Brant Publications which publishes Interview Magazine as well as Art in America sold her 50% share to her ex-husband Peter Brant who had been co-owner. (more…)

NEWSLINKS 1.28.08

Monday, January 28th, 2008


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Former Dia Building via The Observer

Former Chelsea Dia Art Foundation building slated for apartment rentals and gallery space [The Observer]
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How to preserve Paul McCarthy’s chocolate Santa [C-Monster]
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Hudson Morgan covers Gagosian’s gallery festivities in Rome
[Men's Vogue]
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Parisian home of Pierre-Auguste Renoir is for sale [The Wall Street Journal]
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The Times UK arts critic interviews Zhang Xiaogang [Times UK Online]
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Guardian Unlimited UK interviews Peter Doig [Guardian Unlimited]
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Suspect reports Saudi collector possibly behind Sao Paulo Picasso Theft [Art Forum]

Hastert Has Gall Bladder Surgery here gall bladder surgery

AP Online January 30, 2007 CHICAGO – Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is recovering from surgery to remove his gall bladder, his office said Tuesday.

A short statement from the 65-year-old Republican’s office provided no details, and did not specify when the surgery took place, adding only that Hastert had the surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. It did not indicate whether he had been released.

A hospital spokesman could not immediately provide any information.

Hastert, who represents the 14th congressional district in Chicago’s western suburbs, is expected to make a full recovery and plans to resume his full schedule, the statement said.

Messages left for a Hastert spokesman were not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon.

Hastert was the longest-serving Republican speaker in history, holding the post from 1999 until earlier this month, when Democrats took control of the House. see here gall bladder surgery

Last July, Hastert spent several days in a suburban Maryland hospital after being treated for a skin infection.

French and Russian Masterpieces Finally Get to Royal Academy in London

Monday, January 28th, 2008

Royal Academy of Art via The Guardian

After months of litigations and negotiations, the French and Russian masterpieces have arrived at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Russian officials canceled the exhibit around Christmas due to their the threat of seizure. Despite the this hurdle, the 120 French and Russian pieces finally arrived in at the Royal Academy. This is one of the largest Russian loans to England in history.

More pictures below….

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Chuck Close Curates Inaugural Show at Private Gallery in New York

Sunday, January 27th, 2008


Photo by Genevieve Hanson via FLAG Art Foundation

This weekend The Flag Art Foundation, a new private exhibition space located in New York’s Chelsea Art Tower opened its inaugural show Attention to Detail curated by Chuck Close. The exhibition features work from 50 contemporary artists, including very established (more…)

Go See: Gerhard Richter at Marian Goodman Gallery in Paris

Sunday, January 27th, 2008


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Gerhard Richter via Marian Goodman Gallery

Starting today, the Marian Goodman Gallery in Paris debuts Gerhard Ritcher’s new exhibition. The 75 year-old artist is widely considered Germany’s top contemporary artist. A retrospective of Richter’s work is also concurrently on display at the Baden Baden Gallery in Germany. The Marian Goodman exhibition runs until the 1st of March.
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Gerhard Richter’s arts success [Bloomberg]
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Marian Goodman Gallery [Marian Goodman Gallery]

In brief

Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH) April 25, 2012 COLLEGE BASEBALL WSU rallies in 9th to beat Dayton FAIRBORN — A Tristan Moore two-run single in the bottom of the ninth lifted Wright State (27-13) to a 7-6 win over Dayton at Nischwitz Stadium on Military Appreciation Night.

In the bottom of the ninth, Sam Picchiotti led off with a single up the middle, and Jake Hibberd followed by chopping a hit into left after faking a bunt. Zach Tanner then hit a grounder to third that looked to be a potential double play, but the Flyers were only able to force out Picchiotti at third.

A balk call moved both Hibberd and Tanner into scoring position and Moore delivered the game-winner, singling through the left side to plate both runners.

Moore’s first-inning triple was the 16th in his career, tying Phil Long (1993-96) for the most in WSU history. Hibberd hit his eighth home run in the fifth. Day-ton fell to 19-23.

NFL Light’s retirement becomes official The New England Patriots officially placed veteran offensive lineman Matt Light, a Greenville High School graduate, on the reserve/retired list Tuesday, ESPN reported. this web site ohio christian university

It means Light’s retirement is official. The move has been anticipated for more than a month.

Light, 33, played his entire career with the Patriots after the team selected him in the second round of the 2001 draft, serving as quarterback Tom Brady’s blindside protector. Light was a first-team All-Pro in 2007 and a member of the AFC Pro Bowl team in 2006 and ’07.

- Former Dallas Cowboys star Deion Sanders has been charged with misdemeanor simple assault in the wake of an altercation with his estranged wife that got her arrested at their mansion in suburban Dal-las, police said Tuesday. The charge doesn’t warrant arrest.

NFL Tebow speaking at Ohio schools CINCINNATI — New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow is visiting two Christian universities in Ohio this week for a leadership forum and a discussion about “faith and football.” He appeared Tuesday night as part of the forum at Ohio Christian University in Circleville in southeast Ohio. Tonight he’ll speak to a packed house at Cincinnati Christian University.

Cincinnati Christian spokesman Steve Carr said about 2,000 people are expected to hear Tebow in a discussion and evening fundraising banquet.

Carr said donors covered the cost of bringing the Heisman Trophy winner to the school. Tebow’s talks there aren’t open to reporters.

COLLEGE HOCKEY Miami to play ND in outdoor game The Miami University hockey team will play an outdoor game at Soldier Field in Chicago next season against Notre Dame, according to WSBT-TV in South Bend, Ind.

The game is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, as part of a doubleheader that also will feature a game between Wisconsin and Minnesota, the report said.

Drew Russell, the associate vice president of Inter-sport, the Chicago-based sports and entertainment marketing company which is organizing the event, told the TV station that the game will be a home game for the RedHawks. web site ohio christian university

NBA World Peace gets seven-game ban Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace — the artist formerly known as Ron Artest — has been suspended for seven games after his vicious elbow to the head of James Harden during a Sunday game at Staples Center left the Oklahoma City Thunder guard with a concussion.

“The concussion suffered by James Harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind, particularly when they are directed at the head area,” NBA commissioner David Stern said.

ODDS & ENDS Devils force 7th game with win NHL: Travis Zajac scored at 5:39 of overtime, and the New Jersey Devils avoided elimination and sent yet another Eastern Conference first-round series to a seventh game with a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers.

College softball: Dayton lost twice at Ohio University, 10-7 and 15-8. Freshman Jordan Jennings had a home run and four RBIs for the Flyers.

Soccer: Despite going a man and two goals down in the first half, Chelsea pulled off one of the unlikeliest comebacks in Champions League history, earning a 2-2 draw against Barcelona. It sent the London club into the final and eliminated the defending champion.

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Go See: Marc Quinn at White Cube Gallery in London

Sunday, January 27th, 2008


Marc Quinn via White Cube

London’s White Cube Gallery is hosting  Marc Quinn’s new exhibition called “Evolution”. Quinn’s latest offering returns to physical forms in a series of monumental sculptures of human fetuses in different stages of gestation. The show runs from the 25th of January to February 23rd.

In town last night: Marc Quinn at White Cube [The First Post]
Quinn’s Sculptures at White Cube
[The Independant]
White Cube [White cube Gallery]

Newslinks 1.25.08

Friday, January 25th, 2008


Bruce Nauman via Donald Young Gallery

Bruce Nauman to Represent the US at 2009 Venice Biennale [The New York Times]
Dwindling Confidence in the Contemporary Art Market [Bloomberg]
Feds Raid California Museums, including LACMA, for Smuggling Looted Antiquities
[The New York Times]
Barry “Twist” McGee’s First Solo Show in UK Show [The World's Best Ever]
Recession Drags Art Prices? [Bloomberg]
Katy Grannan’s Portraits in Two New York Galleries [NY Sun]
Update: Samsung Slush Fund Art Found [Yonhap News]
Sotheby’s and Christie’s February Impressionist and Modern art Sale Predicted to Total $200M [NY Sun]

The Fourth Plinth Contest at the National Gallery in London

Friday, January 25th, 2008


The Fourth Plinth via The National Gallery

The Fourth Plinth, built in 1851, remained unused for 147 years, until the National Gallery began a rolling program to display select artists’ works on it. Jeremy Deller, Tracy Emin, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Yinka Shinibare, and Bob & Roberta Smith are currently competing for the spot. Artists such as Marc Quinn have been on the Plinth.

Competing for the Plinth [The National Gallery]

Go See: Warhol Photographs at the Timothy Taylor Gallery in London

Thursday, January 24th, 2008


Warhol via Timothy Taylor Gallery

The Timothy Taylor Gallery is currently hosting a Warhol exhibit, “Portraits & Landscapes”. The exhibit features over 200 10″ x 8″ black and white Warhol photographs.

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Zaha Hadid Chosen to Design Michigan State's Art Museum

Thursday, January 24th, 2008


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Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum via New York Times

Iraqi born, London based architect, Zaha Hadid has been chosen to design Michigan State University’s new art museum. The museum will be called the the Eli and Edythe Broad Museum. The museum will house modern and contemporary art. Look for it to open sometime in 2010.

Zaha Hadid to Design Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum [New York Times]
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MSU’s Broad Museum [Architectural Record]

Ernesto Stock Market Plays cnbcfastmoney.org cnbc fast money

Analyst Wire August 30, 2006 BECKY QUICK, CNBC ANCHOR: Now meantime, we have been watching what is happening on the Street. As Ernesto kind of turned away from the Gulf, we saw oil prices come back down.

Guy, you have been watching this. From the Street`s perspective, is there a play you can actually make on this?

GUY ADAMI, CNBC “FAST MONEY,” EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CIBC WORLD MARKTS: There absolutely is a play. And, you know, crude oil should be coming lower because it is an economy thing. It is not — it has never been a supply side issue for me, it has always been a demand thing. So as economies.

QUICK: But.

ADAMI: . are slowing.

QUICK: But that is why we saw oil prices spike last week, right?

ADAMI: Oh, no question, yes. But now I think you are seeing oil doing what it should be doing, sort of drifting back down, mid to high 60s. I think that is where it will sort of fit in. But there is a hurricane play. And one of the stocks I would like to look at is The Shaw Group (SGR). The symbol there is S-G-R. It is a global environmental construction, sort of a cleanup stock. They are headquartered out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. These guys are a first responder. They have responded, to-date, about 10,000 disasters, you know, in the United States. And it is a stock that on July 13th, Barron`s wrote an inside scoop article on. And they mentioned the Tontine Partners. That is one of the real smart hedge funds that the Street does business with. They actually increased their stake in the company to 8.3 million shares from 7.5 million shares. And this came on the heels of them actually lowering guidance for the year. see here cnbc fast money

QUICK: Well, we just took a look at that stock chart. It looks like things really took off after hurricane season last year.

ADAMI: And I think that things are going to take off again this year. I mean, this stock is also cheap on a valuation basis. It trades about a — I think about 20 times. JEC (JEC) trades at about 27 time, and Fluor Corp. (FLR), one of their other comps, trades at about 25.

QUICK: Is there a risk though, that — if we see hurricane season as a washout, is there a risk that things come back down?

ADAMI: Look, there is always a risk in any of these plays. But I don`t think it is going to be a complete washout. I don`t think it is going to be the magnitude that we had last year, but I still think there are going to be some pretty violent storms coming up the East Coast or through the Gulf.

QUICK: All right. We will continue to keep track of what has been happening with both Ernesto and John as we go through the course of the morning.

END

Banksy Defaces Hirst in New Auction Piece

Thursday, January 24th, 2008


Banksy defaces Hirst via Portfolio

Sotheby’s (Auction) Red sale next month is drawing large amounts of press due to a piece by Banksy. Banksy took Damien Hirst’s Pharmaceutical painting and “defaced” it. The new Banksy painting is entitled “Keep it Spotless” and may fetch a record price for Banksy. The bidding starts on February 14th at Sotheby’s.

“Keep it Spotless” [Portfolio]
(Auction) Red [Sotheby's]

Newslinks 1.23.08

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008


Marc Quinn via Times Online

Marc Quinn’s Transformation [Times Online]
55 Van Gogh Letters to Anthon van Rappard [Art Daily]
Wall Street Collector backs Chelsea Gallery [The Art Newspaper]
Richard Prince and Marc Jacobs Collaboration [The New York Observer]

Schnabel Show at Gagosian in Light of Oscar Buzz

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008


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Julian Schnabel at Gagosian Gallery via Bloomberg.

The Gagosian Gallery will host an exhibit of large-scale digital paintings from the artist turned film director Julian Schnabel. The concept was conceived during the production of his latest film “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly”. The digital paintings are based on human X-rays that were scanned and enlarged on a canvas. The exhibit will begin on February 21st and will coincide with the Oscars scheduled for February 24th. The scheduling is not coincidental due to rumors that “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly” will be nominated for an Oscar.
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Gagosian gallery [Gagosian]
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Schnabel Show at Gagosian [Bloomberg]

Licensing Images for Use: The Royalty-Free Model.

Online September 1, 1998 | Berinstein, Paula A reader of my book, Finding Images Online, recently wrote to corn plain that a Web site I’d listed as royalty-free wasn’t free at all. The site’s owner was actually charging fees for images! I can understand the reader’s outrage. After all, “free” means “no charge,” or certainly ought to. Unfortunately, in the context of royalty-free, it doesn’t.

But royalty-free images are still well worth your attention. This column explains what royalty-free means and offers insight into how picture licensing works.

You may have purchased some of those nifty CD-ROM’s featuring royalty-free images or clip art for presentations, reports, and Web sites. Or you may have been tempted to. You usually can’t beat the prices, and while some pictures look canned many are attractive and can be used artistically. Such discs and similar online digital images are distributed under agreements that give the buyer more rights than with custom (one-of-a-kind) or stock photography (off-the-shelf pictures, charged for per use and by type of use). In fact, royalty-free licensing terms can appear so liberal that your rights as a buyer and publisher can seem unlimited-rights to use the image whenever, however, and wherever you like. However, such freedom is often as illusory as a free lunch. Royalty-free may also mean lower quality, non-exclusive rights to publish (which may not matter for your purpose), and some legal risk. This is not to say that royalty-free means “bad,” rather it’s a distinct business model appropriate for certain situati ons.

Disappointing? Sure. But when you consider what’s involved for the producers, sympathy is justified for creators and distributors. Comprehending licensing and fee issues requires familiarity with the image creation and distribution process, so let’s take a look at it. While this process somewhat resembles that for text, it involves more players and can be more complicated. Images involve different types of participants, and the economics of images diverge somewhat from those for text.

THE PLAYERS The participants affect the license acquisition process in two ways-cost and permissions. Creators and distributors want payment for their work, while models and trademark owners care about the use of their likeness and symbols and may reserve the right to grant permission. Even museums that own a depicted work get into the act. The more players, the more obstacles to obtaining a license. Fortunately, many vendors have streamlined the process by offering pre-cleared material, some of which falls in the category of “royalty-free.” The cooks contributing to the image broth are:

* Creator (photographer or artist) This person might be the rights holder, if only one exists. If the work was made for hire, the employer who commissioned the work holds the rights. It’s possible to have two creators-an artist and a photographer who snaps a picture of the artist’s work. The creator brings artistic skill, technical knowledge, and labor to the process and depends on fair payment for his or her efforts. Whether a photographer who takes a picture of an artistic work merits creator status depends on the individual case-the issue engenders much debate.

* Distributor (stock photography agency, library, photographer, museum, government agency, etc.) This entity may represent and collect royalties for the creator, may have purchased full rights to the work for a one-time fee to the creator, may commission works for hire, or may own the physical work but not sole rights to it. Distributors may also make public domain images available. Distributors must locate quality work, negotiate with creators, digitize and catalog images, administer sales and financial details, and so on. They expect fair compensation for all of this, even if only for costs incurred when duplicating and sending out public domain material. this web site public domain images

* Model (person in picture) Legal rights of privacy and publicity govern whether and how a person’s image can be used. In non-news photographs (news photos being those that educate or inform), depicted individuals can sue for invasion of privacy unless they’ve signed a model release waiving those rights. Famous people possess rights of publicity, which in certain circumstances let them control the use of their image. (Rights of privacy for public figures is one of the issues pervading the paparazzi hubbub.) A model may be paid for posing or may simply be concerned with how his or her likeness is used. The model’s pay does not enter into the image acquisition process, but his or her permission does. Creators and/or distributors often arrange for model releases, but buyers should be sure such releases exist and pay special attention to wording.

* Owner of trademarked property in the picture, or owner of the work of art depicted A photographer or a publisher can get into big trouble by, for example, snapping and distributing pictures of Coca Cola signs for non-news purposes. A property release protects the photographer and publisher from lawsuits. As with models, permission is the issue-not payment. Creators and/or distributors may or may not arrange for such permissions, so buyers need to follow up on this issue. In some cases, ownership of the item depicted, not trademarking, is the issue, as when a museum owns a work of art shown in a photograph.

THE ECONOMICS OF PHOTOGRAPHY You might be thinking that with all those cooks a-stirring, you’re going to have to pay through the nose to make sure each gets a fair cut. Not necessarily. What’s more likely than having to spend big bucks is that you’re going to spend some time tracking down rights-holders at various levels-but that depends on whom you purchase from.

The economics involved in image creation and distribution are changing. While photography has never been a career for the materialistic, mere survival is becoming even more difficult. To make money, a creator has to perform one or more of the following:

1. Do custom work for publications, advertising agencies, individuals, movie studios, etc. Custom work means one picture, one payment. Thus, a photographer must get good money for the job, lots of work, or both. Sometimes he can retain rights to the images so he can sell them elsewhere, and sometimes he can sell his out-takes, but often the commissioner desires exclusive rights. Fees for custom work vary. Both portrait and National Geographic photographers perform custom work.

2. Work on a payroll. Payroll photographers work on salary and retain no rights to their photographs.

3. Publish collections of his or her work in books, or perform fine-art photography. Neither of these options generates much income unless you’re Annie Liebovitz or team up with Madonna.

4. Do speculative work. Stock photography is almost always work done on spec. There are two types of stock photography-commercial and editorial. Commercial represents the market for advertising and promotional material, while editorial focuses on books, magazines, and educational materials. Commercial stock photography is a gamble–one requiring substantial time, investment, travel, and equipment. The way to make money is to offer works that will appeal to many people. In so doing, a photographer can sell the same work over and over, leveraging the labor and materials that went into its creation. The need to appeal to lots of people may sometimes, but not always, result in Muzak-like work.

5. Market his or her wares on the Web. This method bypasses employers and agencies and goes straight to buyers. However, as ONLINE readers know, maintaining an effective Web presence requires time, time, time.

To maximize income, not only can the photographer sell the same work to different people, but he can sell the same work more than once to the same person-for different uses. And he can charge more for uses that generate income for the buyer than for those that don’t. That’s why a picture that’s used for advertising costs more than one to be used in a non-profit organization’s newsletter.

However, whether the photographer or his representative charges for every separate use, or offers the buyer a one-time fee that covers multiple uses, depends on his business model. If he thinks he can get away with demanding payment for each distinct use, he’ll try that. If not, he may sell all rights for two to three times the price and be done with it. If he thinks such a practice will alienate buyers, he may opt for a more generous licensing model designed to attract more buyers. Or, if he’s going after a high-end market, he might set his prices high, target tightly, and not worry about a broad market made up of price-sensitive buyers. Many photographers mix and match business models.

Most photographers represent themselves (a practice that’s becoming more common thanks to the Web), while many contract with agencies that package, market, and distribute their work. It used to be that each sale by the agent resulted in a royalty for the photographer. With the advent of digital images, however, a new “clip art” model is emerging in which the CD-ROM publisher pays the photographer a one-time sum rather than a royalty each time someone licenses the picture. This model, which represents one definition of “royalty-free,” results in lower fees for buyers like you and me, but less income for the creator, unless the publisher aggressively markets the discs. Sometimes the photographer independently markets the same photos himself, leveraging his investment.

In addition to the one-shot, up-front fee, there are other definitions of royalty-free. Royalty-free may mean that no royalty is paid to the photographer if the buyer uses the picture in certain pre-defined ways. If the buyer wants to use a picture for some other purpose, a special higher license fee will apply, and the photographer receives a royalty. Royalty-free may also flat out mean the opposite. In some models, distributors of CD-ROMs pay photographers an up-front fee, then a royalty for each disc sold. (If my correspondent was confused before, let him try to figure all that out!) However, according to Rohn Engh, publisher of the industry newsletter Photo Stock Notes, the term “royalty-free” generally applies to the buyer, not the photographer. It means that the buyer doesn’t have to pay extra reuse royalties, as is the case with managed photos (those where usage is tracked). In other words, there are no more hoops to jump through as in traditional stock photography, where each use is negotiated separately.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR IMAGE BUYERS?

Why should you, the buyer, care about all this esoterica? Because it affects what you’ll pay, how you can use the images you purchase, and the quality of the images you acquire. It may also affect you legally. You should also be aware that you’re probably going to have to spend some money even to acquire public domain images, and I want you to know why.

Here are some cautions and truths about buying and using royalty-free images:

Caution: Royalty-free does not mean “no cost,” nor does it mean “public domain.” Truth: Royalty-free images generally carry reasonable prices. You can purchase a CD-ROM containing 100 images for anywhere from $35 to $250 per disc. Whether you find the $1.50 to $2.50 per image price reasonable, of course, depends on whether you use a substantial number of the images on the disc, or if those you do use are worth it for you. A single digital image may run you $10-$20 for low resolution (Publishers Depot charges $10 for a 300K file not for resale, PhotoDisc’s 600K 72dpi image costs $19.95), $70 for medium resolution (Publishers Depot charges $60 for a 12-18 megabyte file not for resale, PhotoDisc’s 10MB 300dpi image runs $69.95), or $130 for high resolution (PhotoDisc’s 28MB 300dpi image costs $129.95).

Caution: Royalty-free does not necessarily mean you can do anything you want with the picture. Check the license. You may be surprised to find that your purchase price affords you some rights, but not others. Double-check the model release if you plan to use the photo in a sensitive situation, such as drug abuse or mental retardation. Be wary of royalty-free companies with no track record. They may not possess the proper releases. (You may be able to identify such companies by looking at their packaging and advertising materials. According to Rohn Engh, established companies look it, “fly-by-nights” don’t.) Truth: Traditional stock agencies guarantee “managed rights” and exclusivity, but royalty-free agencies do not. Stock agencies track usage of their images to make sure your use doesn’t conflict with that of a competitor or other undesirable buyer. They will also, for a fee, guarantee that you are the only authorized user of a particular image and/or provide you with the photo’s history. web site public domain images

Caution: Royalty-free images from different vendors carry different rights. This is a real stinker, but not unfamiliar to those of us who deal with information vendors.

Truth: Royalty-free pricing depends on the quality, range, and breadth of images offered by the agency, and business model. Sometimes royalty-free images simply represent a different product line from traditional stock photos, not an inferior product. To check image quality, see if the specs tell what type of scanner has been used. Drum-scanned images usually represent higher technical quality than images produced with a flatbed scanner.

Caution: Royalty-free images claim to carry model releases, but you can still potentially violate a model’s rights if you use a picture in a negative or defamatory way.

Caution: Watch out for the term “moral rights” in image licenses. Even if you see no such terminology, be careful about using images of people in depictions of controversial issues like abortion and politics.

Truth: Despite the pitfalls, royalty-free agencies generally streamline the image licensing process for purchasers.

Caution: The quality of royalty-free images varies, just as does the quality of merchandise you buy in a discount store. (Discount merchandiser Sears sells great tools, does it not?) Caution: Don’t go by what customer service people tell you. Go by the printed license.

Truth: When you purchase photographs, don’t resent the money you are paying. Realize that you’re contributing to someone’s honest living.

Truth: Royalty-free can be fun. You can afford to spice up your presentations and promotional material, and you’ll have a ball exploring the offerings.

LOG ON TO IMAGES Now that you know a little about the ins and outs of royalty-free images, check out some of the great online resources listed in the sidebar with this column.

Finding Royalty-Free Images Paula Berinstein Here are some online resources for royalty-free images. Some offer single images, some CD-ROMs by theme, and others both. One last caveat–while most Web vendors make it clear where to find technical specs and ordering information, almost all hide their pricing well. Sometimes you have to go to the page for a particular CD to find the price. Sometimes the FAQ provides it. Almost never is the location logical, i.e., a link that says Pricing. I’m not sure why–their prices are nothing to be embarrassed about.

Berinstein, Paula

Go see: Michel Gondry at Deitch Projects

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008


Be kind Rewind via NYmag

The Deitch Projects will be showing Michel Gondry’s “Be Kind Rewind” from February 16 until March 22. “Be Kind Rewind” is a movie about two childhood friends, Jerry and Mike, living in New Jersey. Through a series of unfortunate events, Jerry’s brain become magnetized. Due to this obscure ailment, he unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend’s video store. The movie has received very good reviews and is eagerly anticipated.
The Deitch Projects will also allow visitors to create their own films. Visitors can take home a copy of their film, and all movies created during the exhibition will also be available for viewing and rental from the gallery.

Michel Gondry bringing “Be kind rewind” to life at Deitch Gallery [Adage]
Deitch Projects [Deitch]

Go See: UBS Art Collection at Mori Art Museum

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008


Roy Lichtenstein’s Crying Girl via UBS

On February 2nd the Mori Art Museum in Japan is opening an exhibit featuring around 140 works from over 60 artists in the UBS art collection. The exhibit will include such prominent artists as Gursky, Araki, Warhol, and Miyamoto. This exhibit exemplifies the frequent partnerships between museums and corporate collectors.
UBS Collection at Mori Museum [Mori Museum]

Go See: Edward Burtynsky at London’s Flower Central Gallery

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008

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Quarries” via Cool Hunting

Flower Central in London is hosting the celebrated Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky who recently published a new book called “Quarries”. The book explores the scars left by industry, development, construction, and destruction. Images in the book were selected from his archives built up over the last 17 years and include sites in Canada, Italy, China, Spain, Portugal, India and the United States.

Burtynsky’s photos [Edward Burtynsky]
Impossible architecture [Financial times]

Newslinks 1.22.08

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008


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Warhol Self-Portrait via Bloomberg

Three Warhol Self-Portraits Priced to Sell at Close to $29 Million [Bloomberg]
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Guggenheim Accepts Creative Donation from Deutsche Bank [NY Times]
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Serpentine Gallery’s Next Pavilion: A Frank Gehry Design [Bloomberg]
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Vik Muniz’s Clinton Hill Loft [Media Bistro]
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London Galleries to Watch [This is London]

Kaiser Permanente and Goodwill Southern California Sponsor E-Waste Collection from Kern to San Diego.

Computer Weekly News May 6, 2010 Celebrating a four-year Earth Day partnership, Kaiser Permanente and Goodwill Southern California are anticipating that, with this year’s expansion to six days and 20 Southern California sites, the Kaiser Permanente Southern California response to the e-waste campaign may hit a new record and prove to be the largest and most successful collection by a Goodwill corporate partner in California this year. go to web site kaiser permanente locations

“Every year our physicians and employees bring in obsolete computers, monitors, cast-off cell phones, and other outdated electronic home equipment and hazardous e-waste that might otherwise have ended up in area landfills,” says Benjamin Chu, MD, MPH, MACP, president of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region. “We are leaders in green design, building and purchasing, so partnering with Goodwill in their Earth Day E-Waste collection is a natural for us. It just makes sense to do what we can to keep the environment as healthy as our communities,” adds Dr. Chu.

“The Kaiser Permanente and Goodwill Earth Day program is one of the most successful corporate partnerships we’ve ever had,” said Goodwill Southern California President and CEO, Doug Barr. “This year we have 20 collection sites on Kaiser Permanente locations, and we can’t say enough about the enthusiasm and energy that Kaiser Permanente has put behind this region-wide effort.” Kaiser Permanente’s e-waste collection began in Fontana on April 15 and rolled out in Downey, Panorama City, San Diego-San Marcos, and Woodland Hills through April 20. website kaiser permanente locations

Today, April 22, e-waste collection continues at the Kaiser Permanente corporate headquarters in Pasadena (393 East Walnut Street, 91188), and the Los Angeles, South Bay, Riverside, Anaheim and Irvine medical centers, as well as the Kern County-Ming Avenue and East Hills locations.

This year’s campaign will conclude with collections at the Baldwin Park and West Los Angeles medical centers and the San Diego-Otay Mesa site on April 23. Some locations will collect donated clothes or personal documents for shredding. Goodwill representatives will assist with heavy items, and will provide receipts for all donated e-waste goods they accept.

Kaiser Permanente is America’s leading integrated health plan. Founded in 1945, it is a nonprofit, group practice prepayment program with Southern California headquarters in Pasadena, California. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of 3.3 million members in Southern California. Today it encompasses the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit Southern California Permanente Medical Group. Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Region includes more than 49,919 technical, administrative and clerical employees and caregivers, and more than 6,000 physicians representing all specialties. More information about Kaiser Permanente can be found at www.kaiserpermanente.org. About Goodwill Southern California: GSC operates 63 retail stores, 41 attended donation centers, three campuses and 24 workforce/training centers in the counties of Los Angeles (north of Rosecrans Ave.), Riverside and San Bernardino. Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator, gave GSC its highest four-star ranking for eight consecutive years, because GSC spends 91 percent of its budget on programs that transform lives through the power of work. For more information about GSC and its programs, visit www.goodwillsocal.org.