Aaron Siskind

flush-mounted to Masonite, an Egan Gallery, New York, label, inscribed 'Siskind,' 'Photo ´51,' and priced '35' by Charles Egan in ink on the reverse, 1951 (Photographer, unpaginated; Taken by Design, pl. 114)

The photographer to Charles Egan, early 1950s

Egan Gallery, New York, early 1950s

As is characteristic of Siskind's early exhibition prints, particularly those that were shown at Charles Egan's gallery in the late 1940s and early 1950s, this print is flush-mounted to Masonite. Three narrow wooden blocks are glued to the reverse of the mount, which create a space between the photograph and wall when hung. This photograph is in generally good condition. As is typical of early Masonite-mounted prints, when viewed in raking light, craquelure is visible across the print's surface. Also visible in raking light are several small areas where the print did not adhere completely to the Masonite during the mounting process. Some chipping of the emulsion and rubbing along the edges are visible. The condition issues described above do not diminish the impressive appearance of this early exhibition print. This photograph has recently undergone conservation, a full treatment report for which is available upon request.
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This early mounted exhibition print comes originally from the collection of pioneering New York City gallerist Charles Egan (1911-1993), to whom Siskind was introduced in 1947 by painter Barnett Newman.  Between 1947 and 1954, Egan held five exhibitions of Siskind's photographs in his mid-town gallery—a remarkable venture, given the lack of any real market for fine-art photography at the time.  The original Egan Gallery label on the reverse of the Masonite mount prices this photograph at $35.  The photograph failed to sell during the gallery exhibition, proof that both Siskind—as a photographer—and Egan—as a gallery owner—possessed a vision that was, for the most part, beyond the comprehension of the marketplace of the day.

Siskind made Kentucky during the summer of 1951, while teaching photography alongside Harry Callahan at the progressive Black Mountain College near Asheville, North Carolina.  Siskind used Black Mountain as a launching point for photographic excursions into the surrounding area and Kentucky.  He made an extensive series of photographs of an old wooden plank wall originally painted with signage.  The photograph offered here comes from this series and incorporates the abstraction present in contemporary painting of the time, yet is filled with photographic detail.  As is characteristic of the prints Siskind showed at the Egan Gallery, the photograph offered here is mounted to thick Masonite, a treatment which gives the print a three-dimensional presence on the wall not typically associated with photographs.