Via PR

Celebrating Polaroid’s outsized impact on art and visual culture—and its historic encouragement of artistic experimentation—Rago, Wright, and LAMA will offer works from the institutional collection of the legendary camera maker, including a New York exhibition, major single-owner auction event, and curated thematic offerings. 

Rago, Wright, and LAMA are proud to bring works from The Polaroid Collection to auction, recognizing the historic legacy of one of the most recognized names in the photographic discipline. This significant initiative will launch with a New York exhibition and the landmark May 29th auction Photographs from the Polaroid Collection, followed by further curated offerings to be announced. Highlights of the inaugural auction include works from David Hockney, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Sarah Moon, Richard Hamilton, Dawoud Bey, William Wegman, and Harold Edgerton, and are currently on view at Rago/Wright’s New York gallery through May 9th.

David Hockney, Interior, Pembroke Studios London

Beloved by popular audiences and embraced by a wide swath of artists, Polaroid technology revolutionized photography and was “the Apple of its day,” according to Smithsonian Magazine. Beginning in the 1940s, Polaroid inventor and founder Edwin Land invited notable artists to test the company's cameras and films by creating new works—directly supporting artistic experimentation and weaving artists into the evolution of photographic technology. Many of the works that resulted from this mutually beneficial arrangement became part of the Polaroid Collection. In 1949, Land invited Ansel Adams to help oversee the collection and Adams would remain involved for more than three decades. 

Ellen Carey, Pulls (CMY)

Among the celebrated artists who collaborated with Polaroid and contributed to this collection were David Hockney, Robert Mapplethorpe, Chuck Close, Robert Rauschenberg, William Wegman, Marina Abramovic and Ulay, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, John Divola, Philippe Halsman, Ellen Carey, and many more. Highlights of Photographs from the Polaroid Collection include Hockney’s Polaroid Polacolor print Interior, Pembroke Studios, London (est. $40,000–60,000), Timothy Greenfield-Sanders 1990 Polaroid Polacolor portrait Jeff Koons (est. $15,000–20,000), Marina Abramovic and Ulay’s 1985 Polaroid still: Modus viviendi (est. $20,000–30,000), and Sarah Moon’s 1997 pigment print (shot with Polaroid Type 669 Polacolor film) Stockings (est. $12,000–18,000), as well as works from Chuck Close, Lorna Simpson, Dawoud Bey, Robert Rauschenberg, and more. Many of these works are currently on view at Rago/Wright’s New York gallery, organized to coincide with the prestigious AIPAD Photography Show.

Dawoud Bey, Parris, Walida, and Mike: Phillips Academy students, Boston, MA 

Looking ahead, future offerings from The Polaroid Collection will delve into thematic groupings, including a focus on the work of Polaroid Collection steward Ansel Adams and a presentation of works from pioneering women photographers such as Barbara Kasten, Lorna Simpson, Sheila Metzner, and Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons. Further curated selections will feature the experimental works of Doc Harold Edgerton, as well as an exploration of Los Angeles's influential role in the evolution of photography through the works of artists like John Divola and Robert Cumming.“The Polaroid Collection is truly remarkable for its breadth and scope,” says Meredith Hilferty, Rago/Wright Senior Specialist of Fine Art. “We are honored to present these works, which invite an exciting opportunity to reflect on the tandem evolutions of photographic technology, fine art, and visual culture.” 

Selections from the Polariod Collection will be exhibited at Rago/Wright’s New York gallery at 501 West 20th St from April 22nd to May 9th. Photographs from the Polaroid Collection is a live auction in Lambertville, New Jersey, beginning at 11 am eastern on Thursday, May 29th.

The auction accommodates advanced bids, telephone bidding, and in person and live online bidding. For further information, please reach out to press@wright20.com

View Wright's Chicago auction house details here

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