Light Gallery
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| Established | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1987 |
| Location | New York City, New York, United States |
| Type | Commercial photography gallery |
| Founder | Tennyson Schad |
| Director | Harold Jones (1971–1975) Peter MacGill (1979–1980) Robert Mann (1983–1987) |
Light Gallery was a fine art contemporary photography gallery in New York City that operated from 1971 to 1987. It was one of the first galleries in the United States to exclusively represent living contemporary photographers as fine artists, helping to establish photography as a collectible art form.[1][2]
History
Foundation and early years (1971–1976)
Light Gallery was founded in 1971 by Tennyson Schad, a New York First Amendment attorney. Schad had developed an interest in photography while serving as editorial counsel at Time Inc. during the 1960s. The gallery opened at 1018 Madison Avenue with Harold Jones, formerly an assistant curator at the George Eastman Museum, as its first director.[3]
At the time of Light Gallery's opening, the Witkin Gallery, which had opened in 1969, was the only other New York gallery devoted solely to photography, though it primarily represented 19th and 20th-century historical photography.[1] Light Gallery differentiated itself by exclusively marketing and selling contemporary photography by living artists, many of whom were relatively unknown at the time.
The gallery treated photographers with the same professional representation that painters received, handling mounting, framing, packing, and other technical details that photographers had traditionally managed themselves, rather than simply hanging a print and taking a commission if sold.[2] Light Gallery also made its inventory accessible through flat files that visitors could browse informally.[2]
Expansion and later years (1976–1987)
In 1976, Light Gallery relocated to larger quarters at 724 Fifth Avenue.[4] After Jones left in 1975 to become the founding director of the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona,[3] the gallery was directed by several individuals, including Peter MacGill from 1979 to 1980.[5]
In 1983, Schad hired Robert Mann as the gallery's final director, tasking him with either liquidating the inventory or revitalizing the enterprise.[2] Mann managed the gallery through its final four years of operation. Light Gallery closed in 1987, though the Schads continued to deal in photography privately from their home until Tennyson Schad's death in 2001.[2][6]
Represented artists
Light Gallery represented photographers who became major figures in 20th-century photography, including:
- Ansel Adams
- Harry Callahan
- Linda Connor
- Emmet Gowin
- Betty Hahn
- Eikoh Hosoe
- André Kertész
- Robert Mapplethorpe
- Ray K. Metzker
- Duane Michals
- Arnold Newman
- Stephen Shore
- Aaron Siskind
- Frederick Sommer
- Paul Strand
- Garry Winogrand
Notable exhibitions
The gallery presented Robert Mapplethorpe's first solo exhibition, titled Polaroids, which opened on January 6, 1973, in the gallery's "Backroom" space.[7][8] Harold Jones also mounted the first solo exhibition of Paul Strand since the era of Alfred Stieglitz's galleries.[2]
Impact and legacy
Light Gallery helped establish photography as a collectible art form during a period when there was virtually no commercial market for the medium.[2] The gallery helped build a community of photographers and collectors and trained a generation of photography dealers who went on to establish their own influential galleries.[4]
Four former Light Gallery staff members founded leading photography galleries in New York City:
- Robert Mann (Robert Mann Gallery)
- Peter MacGill (Pace/MacGill Gallery)
- Laurence Miller (Laurence Miller Gallery)
- Rick Wester (Rick Wester Fine Art)[4]
The gallery's archives, along with the archives of several photographers it represented, are housed at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona.[2] In 2019–2020, the Center organized a major retrospective exhibition titled "The Qualities of LIGHT: The Story of a Pioneering New York City Photography Gallery," accompanied by a documentary film directed by Lisa Immordino Vreeland. The symposium for the exhibition featured Fern Schad, who discussed the gallery's history and founding vision.[4][2][9]
According to Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator of the Center for Creative Photography, "LIGHT Gallery played a critical role in photography's legitimization and pioneered new approaches to its sale and presentation. There is no question that LIGHT made an undeniable and lasting impact on the way photography is understood today."[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Collection: LIGHT Gallery miscellaneous acquisitions collection". Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Dorfman, John (February 25, 2020). "Developing the Market". Art & Antiques Magazine. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Harold Jones". Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "The Qualities of LIGHT: The Story of a Pioneering New York City Photography Gallery". L'Œil de la Photographie. May 21, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Thomas Barrow, Peter MacGill, Sean Corcoran - An Art Book". The New York Public Library. November 7, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Tennyson Schad, Lawyer Who Founded Photography Gallery, Dies at 70". The New York Times. June 4, 2001. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Self Portrait with Camera, Invitation to Light Gallery Opening, January 6, 1973". Untitled Art Gallery. April 29, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ "The Photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe". Tate. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ "The Legacies of LIGHT" (PDF). The Photograph Collector: 7. February 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
External links
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