Born in 1962, Daniel Blau opened his first gallery in 1990 in the basement of a former bakery in Munich. His London gallery specialises in vintage photography and his gallery in Munich, now located on the prestigious Maximilianstrasse, specialises in vintage photography as well as modern art. In part of the AIPAD Photography Show 2015, Daniel Blau presents newly discovered photographs by Margaret Bourke-White and Sofia Valiente, this year’s 1st Prize Winner (Portraits, Stories) of the 58th World Press Photography contest.
Margaret Bourke-White
Margaret Bourke-White’s extensive and diverse career captured many historic moments. In the male-dominated world of early twentieth century photojournalism, Bourke-White undeniably stands as a pioneer. She was the first female war correspondent, the first woman permitted to work in combat zones, the first woman to fly on a bombing mission during the Second World War and the first Western photographer permitted to document Soviet Industry after the revolution.
The 1930s photographs – exhibited here for the first time in America – explore New York’s most controversial burlesque venues and their dancers, where Bourke-White achieved an unprecedented proximity to her subjects. These photographs show both Bourke-White’s gifted composition as well as her compassion: the warm-tone contact prints reveal a gentler side than is often portrayed through her better-known war photographs.
Her Washington photographs highlight the groundbreaking spirit with which she forged her prolific career. Various political portraits show Franklin D. Roosevelt and members of his cabinet including female Assistant Secretary of Treasury, Josephine Roche, Rexford Tugwell and Harry Hopkins, two of the president’s closest economic advisors. Architectural photographs taken in Washington and New York further underline her compositional virtuosity.
Sofia Valiente : Miracle Village
Miracle Village, first exhibited at Daniel Blau in London, is a provocative exploration into the secluded lives of the socially excluded in a purpose-built community located on the outskirts of a rural town in an impoverished area of Palm Beach County, Florida.
Miracle Village houses sex offenders, who, due to the stringent legislation, are unable to find housing, since the laws ensure them to reside at least 1,000 feet from any place where children congregate. Thanks to Valiente, these outcasts, whose lives are forcibly connected by their offences and shared stigma, have for the first time been given a voice and identity.The undeniable artistic merits of the Miracle Village project lie not only in the exquisite photographic compositions, but in their candid portrayal of the feared and ostracised. The photographs, which are both captivating and unsettling, are accompanied by equally striking stories in a critically-acclaimed book available at our booth throughout the fair. The limited number of signed copies, first published by the Italian artist residency program Fabrica in 2014, offers insight into offenders’ handwritten testimonies.
1. Margaret Bourke-White (1904 – 1971)
“Backstage – In a Degas Setting the Ballerinas of the Ballet Russe”, 1936
vintage, silver gelatin contact print on matte fibre paper
printed by June 11, 1936
© Margaret Bourke-White © LIFE
Courtesy: Daniel Blau Munich/London
2. Margaret Bourke-White (1904 – 1971)
“Backstage – Burlesque Chorines”, 1936
warm-toned silver gelatin contact print on semi-matte, double-weight fibre paper, printed by November 6, 1936
© Margaret Bourke-White © LIFE
Courtesy: Daniel Blau Munich/London
3. Sofia Valiente (*1990)
“Lee”, 2014
inkjet print on baryta paper
INFORMATIONS
AIPAD 2015
16 – 19 April, 2015
The Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10065
USA
http://www.aipad.com
Daniel Blau
Maximilianstrasse 24
Munich 80539
Germany
http://www.danielblau.com
