![Quote](images/misc/quote_icon.png)
Originally Posted by
Peter Lewin
I think that if one re-reads Monsieur Duchamps' original post, you will see that being in a museum collection was not an end in itself, it was a measure of the merit of the photography. He specifically states that while for some, having works in "small galleries and collections" may be sufficient, he asks how to "transcend" that level to the point where one's work is collected by [major, my addition] museums. So ultimately, in my reading, we have someone entering the fine arts photography field asking how to reach the pinnacle of that field, particularly if one's love is the black and white silver print.
While many of us can question whether curators should be the measure of one's success, I personally would not argue that Rodinal's use of "museum collectibility" is not a good target. Yes, we occasionally come across excellent photographers who were never recognized (Vivienne Maier jumps to mind as a current example, as does Atget who was unknown until Berenice Abbott popularized his work around 1930), but very few mediocre photographs hang in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, or the Metropolitan Museum, in NYC. I see no reason why Rodinal, starting out, shouldn't aim high.
Of course his question about how to get there is somewhat unanswerable, but several with appropriate experiences have already posted their thoughts. I suspect that many of us can offer opinions on how to live one's life ("be true to your own spirit and vision" has been said several times) but in truth the vast majority of us are happy to have works hung in local juried shows or in small local galleries, so we are not aiming for the same target as Rodinal. As the father of two grown children, I could offer lots of wisdom (self-depricating humor) on how to live a life, but that wasn't the question.
The second part of Rodinal's question was whether there is still a place for the B&W silver print at the "pinnacle." Since I am still a darkroom printer, that question intrigued me. When I try to think of "contemporary" B&W landscape photographers who have made the major museum grade, I run out of candidates with Robert Adams and William Clift, and they are both over 60. Kirk, who as far as I know is the best qualified on this Forum to respond to Rodinal's question, has mentioned that he (although he too is over 60!) as well as others he knows, are actively collected by museums, so it would seem that darkroom photographers don't have to give up yet.
Edit: Read the thread in this same forum, "$6.5 million for a Peter Lik." He doesn't shoot B&W silver prints, I have no idea if he is collected by major museums, but there has to be a relationship between that thread and this one!
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