Collecting Photography

The interest in photography within the various art circles (collectors, galleries and museums) has increased exponentially in the last decades. With the large number of photographers and the enormous supply of photos, purchasing photographic works has become a delicate matter. This page refers to a number of resources that can be helpful in making choices. The main questions here are:

  • Is photography always art? A photo can be art, if taken by a recognized photographer, but not every photo is art.
  • Can the value for art be approached theoretically? No, the value of a photo depends on many factors: the appreciation for the photographer, the uniqueness and condition of the photo and the moment in time. Appreciation for the photographer is determined by the reputation of his photos, the possession of his photos in special collections, the published books and publications and the number of exhibitions and the Status of the museum.
    Estimating a current price is reserved for people who have been active in the photo trade for a long time (gallery owners and curators). So it’s about their reputation and credibility. Another way to track prices is to go to auctions.
  • Do I purchase photos out of emotion, as an investment or for another reason? It doesn’t matter for what reason you collect, as long as it is possible within your budget and as long as it makes you happy. The transience of the medium (paper, chemicals and ink) makes investing extra risky, although that also applies to other art forms. The transience is strongly influenced by the presentation conditions (temperature, humidity and the amount of (sun)light).
    Don’t forget that the purchase entails all kinds of extra costs, such as the buyer’s premium and the ‘droit de suite’ (volgrechtvergoeding) at an auction and the costs for framing, transport insurance.
In 2022, the Vereniging Rembrandt, in collaboration with Leiden University Library (UBL), has set up three lectures and made them available via Youtube (3x ±1.5 hours) on this subject.  Click here for the link.
Part 1 is from the UBL led by Maartje van der Heuvel (the actual lecture starts after 7 minutes). Part 2 is from the Haags Historisch Museum (start after 1 min.) and part 3 took place in the library of the Rijksmuseum (after 20 sec.).

 

Below is a list of key resources:

Sources

Apraisers (taxateurs)

Literature 

  • Julien Hacking, Photography and the art market, Lund Humphries, 2018, ISBN: 978-18-482-2148-2
  • John Szarkowski, The photographer’s eye, MoMa, 1966,
    ISBN 978-08-707-0527-4