“Presences. Photographic treasures from the Sondra Gilman (1926-2021) Gonzalez-Falla Collection” present ninety-one artists including 24 women.”
Présences, Exposition, photo: Collection Gilman-Gonzalez-Falla
Among the great names in photography of the 19th and 20th centuries, are Americans, Europeans or South Americans. To name a few in alphabetical order: Arbus, Brassaï, Cameron, Callahan, Cartier-Bresson, Cunningham, Doisneau, Eggleston, Frank, Goldin, Levitt, Lyon, Mapplethorpe, Model, Neshat, Outerbridge, Woodman, Warhol…
Présences, Exposition, photo: Collection Gilman-Gonzalez-Falla
Living in Paris gives one the incredible opportunity to engage and immerse in the arts. “Presences” was one such treat for me. In fact, as a photography student, having studied photographers, I was so impressed that I feel that any attempt at a description of the immense mastery of the photographers in this collection will fail. I will do my best to express at least the overwhelming wonder in the feeling of excellence.
Amidst the beautiful setting in the park of Maison Caillebotte the exposition was to last from May 23 to September, but has been extended to 17 November 2024. It is organized by the City of Yerres and presented at Maison Caillebotte. Yerres is the capital city of the Essonne department in the Île-de-France region and is about an hour away from central Paris via train.
Présences, Exposition, photo: Collection Gilman-Gonzalez-Falla
The extraordinary 1500-piece Sondra Gilman and Celso Miguel Gonzalez-Falla collection has earned it a place amongst the top 10 photographic collections in the world.
Who and what about the collectors?
“We are custodians, and we feel an obligation to the photographer—to the artist who created the work—to allow it to be seen and exposed as much as it can. We don’t own it. Nobody owns art. It’s passing through us, and we must take care of it.” Sondra Gilman Gonzalez-Falla.
Celso Gonzalez-Falla (1935) was born in Cuba in 1935 and studied law. He is an attorney, and author and served as Texas Art Commissioner from 1997 to 2003. He became an activist fighting against the increasing restrictions put in place by Fidel Castro. In 1961 he had to leave Cuba as a political exile. Celso Gonzalez-Falla (Corpus Christi, TX) is active in both business and philanthropy in the United States. He and his wife founded The Gilman and Gonzales-Falla Theater Foundation and he was Chairman of the Board of the Aperture Foundation.
Sondra Gilman. (1926-2021) Sondra Minette Golden was born in New York, NY. She obtained her BA in Art History at Syracuse University. She married Charles “Chris” Gilman, in 1960, raised two children, and was the Chairman of the Sondra and Charles Gilman Jr. Foundation, Inc. Her husband passed in 1982, and she found love, once more. She married Celso Miguel Gonzalez-Falla in 1986, while also inheriting seven step-children. She was known for her quick wit and natural joy, as she engaged in her lifelong passion for the arts, especially American musical theatre and photography. She is known for The Orphan (1979), Sophisticated Ladies (1982) and The 61st Annual Tony Awards (2007).
In 1991, she and Celso created the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theater Foundation. Through the Foundation, she participated in over 21 Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional productions, over ten musical theatre albums, and various musical festivals, readings, showcases, and fellowship grants. She was President of the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Theater Foundation.
Photo Exposition | Présences, Photographic Treasures from the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Collection
Engaged and Committed collectors.
Sondra Gilman initiated the collection sort of haphazardly in the mid-1970s. After she ‘stumbled’ upon a sale of the works of Eugene Atget at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, she purchased three photos for $250 each. She declared it a revelation of an “epiphany”!
From the 1980s, Sondra and Celso focused their collection on artists from the contemporary scene. The first piece they bought together in 1987 was of Dancer, Choreographer, Bill Jones by Robert Mapplethorpe in, 1985. They agreed on parameters to make decisions. In considering a purchase: 1) the selection- they favoured first the power of the photographs and not the fame of the artists. Yet, the collection brings together the greatest names from the 19th and 20th centuries and the young talents discovered have today become the major artists of their generations; 2) the quality and breadth of the works – have included analogue and digital prints, limited to ‘period’ – defined as ‘vintage’ a print made by the author at the time of shooting or within five years, as this accurately represents the most important aspect in the historical value of the work. It assures the certainty of the link between the author and the photographic objective. They waited twenty years before finding a ‘vintage’ print of Saratoga Springs by Walker Evans. “Vintage,” they explain, “is the purest connection with the photographer’s vision.”
The coalescing of these treasures allows us to appreciate how much, for the same image or theme, the photo can be different depending on the print and how the choice made by the artist gives it its style and signature; And 3) Final decision – they made their own decisions without seeking advice, and they always made their choices together with the right of veto – although it was never exercised.
In advance of the need to do so, they continued to defend photography as an art in its own right. Sondra’s epiphany and passion for photography led her to jump into action in 1977 and become a member, and later president, of the Whitney Museum Photography Acquisition Committee in New York. A room bears her name – and Celso Gonzalez-Falla is still a trustee for the Whitney Museum.
Photo Exposition | Présences, Photographic Treasures from the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Collection
A feel for the exposition, …A photograph is usually looked at – seldom looked into. ~ Ansel Adams (1906 -1984).
In contrast to a series of static images this photographic collection lends an aspect of intimacy, indeed, …they lived with it on their staircase and throughout their home. The exposition offers a sensory journey. It highlights and cheerfully peers into the subtle nuances of the human condition. All photographs are portraits in which most of the subjects are looking at the lens. Face to face, side by side, all these famous or anonymous characters present themselves to us in the most diverse situations, in public, in private, in action, in the streets, in bars, in private or public interiors, or in the photographer’s studio.
The first photographs presented are of Sondra and Celso, the American collectors and patrons who welcome us. Photographed by artists of their generation, Sondra by Mapplethorpe and The Couple by Ken Collins. The next series presents artists and models who have left their mark on the art world, and whose perspectives and or personalities are captured in a fascinating single-shot presentation. The evolution of progress in style and preferences of communication grows more varied as advances in technology become available. Throughout time, the portrait, with the function of the gaze, has been a major genre of photography. It has been challenged as art through the numerous “schools,” from pictorialism to realism. The compositions, herein often are produced thanks to ever-greater scientific and technical advances, such as the infinite variety in chemical processing, papers, films, and exposure techniques, then on to digital eternity. These advances often mark the artists’ aesthetic research, creativity, and preferences to which collectors are keenly sensitive.
A fourth perspective introduced is built around an emblematic America between grandeur and disenchantment, observed from the brilliance of Sondra’s New York and Texas where she resided with Celso. And then there are children habitually perceived as fragile or insolent, who generally arouse tenderness, fun and unconditional love. Here the subject is offered for exploration, and depending on the artists, it may be illuminated for its simple and authentic beauty or offered for the disturbance it can create.
The poetry of everyday life appears later in the genre, streets, passers-by, privileged targets, reveal their candid humanity in its purest form. Following are dichotomies of solitudes in the milieu of a crowd, in public places or in privacy, facing the inevitable, as studies in public and private self-consciousness return to the surface in our recognizable conditions. The joys of shared moments then come to delight us.
And finally, the mirror of the world today brings together the latest works in the exhibition, mainly in colour and large formats that remind us that at all latitudes, we, humanity, all share the same emotions. “Présences” speaks to us of passion, desire, and drive like this remarkable couple of collectors who dedicated their lives to the acquisition of uniquely “vintage” photographs to share with us.
Photo Exposition | Présences, Photographic Treasures from the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Collection
Through its scale and diversity, this exhibition speaks to us with uncomplicated clarity about beings and different types of existence. It is a reflection of the humanity around us.
This exposition also is a tribute to Sondra Gilman who recently passed away.
“May these “Presences”, who will spend a few weeks with us at Maison Caillebotte, compose a hymn to the life that Sondra and Celso Gonzalez-Falla celebrated together and through their collection!”
Keeper of the flame
As a photographer with the greatest respect for the collaboration in the interaction, the art, and the artist – to be included in this collection would be the greatest honour of all time and lies beyond even knowing how to dream it, let alone that it be realized as ‘so good to be true!’
Congratulations to photographer Miss Kristin Bedford, whom I had the pleasure to meet and to write about in Culture Honey, regarding her celebratory Parisian Cruise Night commemorating the release of her photo book Cruise Night. Her photograph entitled, “No Soy De Ti” has been included in this impressive exposition, alongside 140 photographic masterpieces by some of the world’s most highly recognized luminaries. The whole collection is golden and fostered humility.
Kristin Bedford (États-Unis) No Soy De Ti [Je ne t’appartiens pas] 2018 Tirage pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag 310g/m2 60 × 90 cm Celso Gonzalez-Falla Collection © Kristin Bedford
In my mind, Bedford has won the Gold Medal of Photography by ‘landing’ in the Gonzalez-Falla Collection. Recognition of her works at this standing opens doors and minds in the field of art from the overarching wide-angle perception.
She is noted for her quiet portraits of American cultural movements. Her book, Cruise Night, listed by the Smithsonian in the top 10 photography books of 2023, led to countless interviews, international expositions, book signings, and car shows.
In the true tradition, and purest contribution of the art of photography, her images invite a new visual narrative around the lowrider traditions. The invitation arouses curiosity and inspires viewers to question prevalent societal stereotypes.
Lowrider: a customized car modified to ride close to the ground; the lowrider car culture began in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-to-late 1940s, and grew during the post-war prosperity of the 1950s within Mexican-American youth culture, and therein gave way to decades of racism, stereotyping, and division within humanity.
As described, the photographic documentary, intersecting aesthetics and cultural displays “exposes the nuance of cars as mobile canvases and illuminates the legendary community that creates them.” The bold and relatively modern language of colour digital print photography, coupled with a female vantage point, presents an original look at a prolific American movement birthed in the ‘City of Angels.’ The Lowrider traditions have inspired expansion. At a minimum, I know Japan, Canada, and France, also have low-rider clubs and traditions!
In general, artistic documentaries present opportunities for awareness, and are evolutionary/revolutionary in their contribution to change. Life is constantly changing, and as much as it may be complicated, the relationship to the evolving consciousness of humanity is clear.
Perspectives: photography on a spectrum –- philosophical/practical
Roland Barthes (1950-1980), Philosopher, literary critic, university professor, semiologist, sociologist, mythographer, literary theorist, essayist, writer, and ontologist said:
“Photography is a certificate of attendance […]. This is what I see
I found ‘self,’ in this place which extends between infinity and
the subject. It was there, and yet immediately separated.
irrefutably present, and yet already
deferred… More than any other art, photography poses
an immediate presence in the world. But this
presence is also of a metaphysical order.”
Photo Exposition | Présences, Photographic Treasures from the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Collection
“The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong. It gives me both a point of connection and a point of separation.
~ Susan Mieselas
It is worth a visit to contemplate this exposition!
To meld philosophy (origins of civilisation,) ontology (physical and metaphysical life development and meaning), and semiology (systematic study of meaning and communication of meaning), consider: What if the glory, power, and the purpose of art was to enlighten our spirits, to support our fundamental human right of which of greatest importance is freedom of choice? This century thus far encourages us to choose our minds, our spirits, our emotions, our bodies, and our actions. We are encouraged to consciously claim sovereignty and dignity as a unique individual, and …ultimately in my opinion to support eudaemonia, which is to thrive. As Miss Bedford’s photograph, titled, No Soy De Ti 2018 (I am not yours) [Je ne t’appartiens pas] “I don’t belong to you” (You don’t own me) …or framing through a positive filter – I AM a free, sovereign being.
Each of us is living art, and each is the steward of oneself. We also are the collective stewards of our humanity. Art is communication and has a long-held purpose for humans. It is our right and a choice as to whether or not, and if so how, we engage in art. Perhaps, it is a responsibility, maybe it, as demonstrated by Sondra and Celso is a generous contribution, fueled by passion to protect and ignite the power of art in support of accessibility to a selection of the many treasures of humanity.
Photo Exposition | Présences, Photographic Treasures from the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Collection
Notes:
*Compiled- principally from my translation of the press dossier for the exposition, Polka Magazine 2018 for the exposition / Gilman Collection: The treasure is in the Stairs and Aperature News May 2021, New York Times Obituary, Whitney Museum.org and Wikipedia Biographies
*All sources share meaningful expressions of love, unbounded respect, and gratitude for Sondra and Celso’s devotion to their mission and honourable contributions in the form of their steadfast stewardship of art, theatre and photography. Celso continues and … we shall see what is next.
*Drew Sawyer was appointed by the Whitney Museum of American Art as the Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography in May 2023 to oversee the Museum’s collection of photography from 1900 to the present and to lead its photography acquisition committee. Sawyer previously held curatorial positions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Columbus Museum of Art, where he co-founded the Center for Art and Social Engagement (CASE) through a major grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Among other achievements, Sawyer received a 2020 Award for Excellence from the Association of Art Museum Curators for Art after Stonewall: 1969–1989, which ARTnews named one of the top 10 most important exhibitions of the 2010s.
Aperture 2021 Shared Vision Collection of Photography 2012
Polka magazine 2018 for the exposition / Gilman Collection: The Treasure is in the Stairs)
https://www.parisupdate.com/presences/https://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/sondra-gilman/
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nytimes/name/sondra-gonzalez-falla-obituary?id=9584086
