Laurence Miller is one of New York’s historic gallery owners.
Today he is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of his passion, his journey exhibiting and promoting photography.
He entrusted us with this text and these images.
Thank you Laurence for all the images you made us discover.
JJN
The story begins back around 1964 when my father covered my bedroom walls with cork and I hung my first installation: colorful magazine covers featuring star athletes.
After graduating high school, I attended University of Wisconsin, Madison, started taking art classes and gravitated to photography studying with Cavaliere Ketchum, who believed that the great era of picture magazines like LIFE was coming to an end, and that making a living from magazine photography would be challenging. He emphasized combining photography with other skills, like typography, and we began publishing our own hand-made books. I then transferred to the University of New Mexico for further graduate work with their great faculty, which included Beaumont Newhall, Van Deren Coke, and photographer/curator Thomas Barrow, who sadly passed away this summer. While at UNM I curated my first public exhibition, featuring 19th and 20th century handmade photography books, at the Quivira Bookstore and Gallery.
In 1974 Tom Barrow informed me of an opening at LIGHT Gallery in New York City, which I joined that September. I became an Associate Director, collaborating with Harold Jones, Peter MacGill, Victor Schrager, Susan Harder, and Charles Traub. My responsibilities included travelling exhibitions, show installations, and sales. LIGHT was a destination for anyone interested in the art of photography, which provided me with introductions and friendships with many of the greats…Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind, Jan Groover, Ray Metzker, Linda Connor, Andre Kertesz, Ansel Adams, Nancy Rexroth, Stephen Shore, Fred Sommer, Duane Michaels, Garry Winogrand, Emmet Gowin, Paul Strand, Minor White and Ansel Adams, to name a few…and many collectors, curators and writers as well…
When LIGHT later moved to a larger space at 724 Fifth Avenue, people were starting to decorate with photography. In response, in 1979, I envisioned a different kind of show, titled INTERIORS DESIGNED FOR PHOTOGRAPHS. We invited five top design firms to create their own installations within the Gallery: JOE D’Urso Design, Inc; Falkener-Stuetley Interiors, Ltd; Mac II; Parish-Hadley, Inc.; and Patino/Wolf Associates, Inc. The show garnered great press coverage and generated many sales…
That same year I accompanied Aaron Siskind to Les Contres d’ Arles. I’ll never forget sitting at a large round table with many of the greats, including Andre Kertesz, when Aaron burst out, “Kertesz, why do you look so glum all the time?” Typical Aaron, and typical Kertesz.
In 1980 I left LIGHT to start my own private dealership, curated two exhibitions at BOOKS AND COMPANY on Madison Avenue: Val Telberg, and Frances Murray, and soon thereafter began representing Ray Metzker and The Estate of Larry Burrows.
I opened LAURENCE MILLER GALLERY, in January, 1984, on East 57th Street and was fortunate to hire Patino/Wolf associates, who transformed my shoebox of a room into a magical and unconventional space for showing pictures. Never before reported to the public, however, was that during the afternoon before our grand opening, I split my pants!! However, an elderly seamstress had the space next door, and within minutes I was sewn up and ready to launch my future as a Gallerist…
NEW YORK magazine published a wonderful two page spread on the gallery’s unique design. To lure new potential buyers fearful that photography was about endless editions, I curated THE ONE AND ONLY: UNIQUE PHOTOGRAPHS SINCE THE DAGUERREOTYPE. As our reputation grew, I was able to attract Helen Levitt and Lee Friedlander to join us. We soon outgrew our modest space and moved to Soho.
Representing Ray, Helen, Lee, Toshio Shibata and others gave me reason to travel across the US, Europe and Japan. A moment I will never forget was going to Paris to represent Helen Levitt, who would never fly on a plane, for the opening of her major retrospective at the CENTRE NATIONAL de la PHOTOGRAPHIE. Mid-afternoon Regis Durand, the museum director, called me at my hotel and said, “turn on the TV, there has been a terrorist attack!” Unaware of what he was referencing, I read my book and shaved. Soon after my wife Lorriane called and told me what was happening. Glued to the TV, I could barely get off the bed to get dressed and attend the Levitt opening. That was on the 11th day of September, 2001.
As SOHO was becoming more retail oriented, we moved back to 57th Street, and in 2011 Jacob Cartwright joined the Gallery as our art handler and assistant. We then moved to Chelsea, a few yards from the High Line. With the arrival of COVID, we ultimately closed our public space, I returned to private dealing and consulting from our NYC apartment and home in New Hope, Pa. My wife Lorraine continues to play a vital role as Gallery CFO and adviser. I should note that Jacob continues as Gallery Director, and though we have no public space, Jacob’s outstanding contributions as the author of our popular online series PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WEEK, now up to # 317 thus far, have generated an extensive mailing list, many compliments, and frequent sales. We now have the best of both worlds, global visibility, and privacy…
After fifty years, I am starting to wind down, and be more selective on what projects to undertake. With a large barn adjacent to our house, I have the space to create installations, both inside and out, to share with good friends and neighbors, every now and then. I am satisfied.
All the best,
Laurence Miller
September 29, 2024
