Workshops
This one-day on-site course in New York City provides collectors (from newbies to more seasoned) and curious photographers, the confidence to raise their paddle at auction!
There are no available registration dates at this time.
Sharing her top tips accumulated over nearly 40 years of collecting, Alice Sachs Zimet takes the class on a deep dive into the world of auctions. The morning session takes place in the instructor’s home, amidst her collection of over 350 images where 30% has been purchased at auction. Topics include the questions to ask before buying a photograph, how to bid at auction, auction language, how to read an auction catalog, condition issues, editioning, negative vs print date, and post-auction sales opportunities.
In the afternoon, we’ll be greeted by the Head of Photography, Deborah Rogal, at Swann Auction Galleries for a rare behind-the-scenes preview and discussion of the upcoming sale, taking place on February 15. Swann was founded in 1941 as an auction house specializing in Rare and Antiquarian Books and is now the largest specialist auctioneer of Works on Paper in the world. The Photographs Department held its first sale in 1952, and the department remains committed to innovation by introducing new genres and suggesting new ways to consider collecting and the future of the market. Its February photography auction will include roughly 200 lots and features 100 lots devoted to a private collection in a special printed catalog. This exciting auction includes rare and vintage work from Ansel Adams, Irving Penn, Edward Weston, Edward Steichen, Carleton Watkins, Eadweard Muybridge, and many others. Swann Auction Galleries is located at 104 East 25th Street, just east of Park Avenue.
A working lunch will be provided and is included in the student tuition.
Students will need to coordinate transportation from the instructor’s home on the Upper West Side to the auction house. Group ride-shares are suggested and can be coordinated in the early hours of the workshop.
Share This
Instructor: Alice Sachs Zimet
Alice Sachs Zimet has been a collector of fine photography for close to 40 years, as well as an educator, consultant, and advisor with regular participation in juries, portfolio reviews, and festivals. Faculty, International Center of Photography (ICP) School. Chair, Photography Curatorial Committee, Harvard Art Museums. Board, Magnum Foundation. Chair, Collections Committee, ICP. Advisory Board Member: Center of Photography at Woodstock (CPW), American Photography Archives Group (APAG) and PHOTOFAIRS New York. Adjunct Professor, Graduate Program, Arts Administration, Steinhardt School, New York University. Bachelor’s Degree (Art History), Syracuse University. Studied art history at the Sorbonne, Paris, France. Master’s Degree (Art History), New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. Research Assistant, Grey Art Gallery. Manager, Summer Intern Program, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Manager, Direct Mail Publications Program, American Federation of Arts. Director, Worldwide Cultural Affairs, The Chase Manhattan Bank.