Fine Art - Historical
Photography Collection
Soho New York City 1970 -1990's
All photographs are © Copyright protected
During the late 1970s thru the '80s and early '90s, photo artist Bob Edelson photographed the streets, architecture, boutiques, cafes, artists and art studios of New York's SOHO and surrounding communities (e.g. E. Village, Chinatown, Little Italy)....not as a documentarian, but as a fine art photographer always seeking and shooting the perfect shot.
“Whether he is photographing an intriguing design element on an Art Deco building, a familiar neighborhood bistro, or a clothesline stretched in an ally, Edelson’s attention is often riveted on the idea of transformation. The metamorphoses of place and people, the shifting subtleties of light, the happenstance of the unexpected…these are just a few of the dramas that play before his lens.”
Micheal Prebile,
Curator Bass Museum,
Miami Beach, Florida
As it turned out, through his constancy in shooting their totality, the photos became a comprehensive documentary of the time a downbeat manufacturing district was transformed into an exciting creative and “hip” neighborhood of global distinction. As a result many of them were recently acquired by The New York Historical Society for their permanent collection.
“Edelson's images are particularly desirable because they are truly artistic as well as having historical value".
Marilyn S. Kushner, PhD
Curator and head,
Department of Prints, Photographs
and Architectural Collections
Department of Prints, Photographs
and Architectural Collections
The New York Historical Society
There are well over 150 fine, distinct images on B&W and Color 35mm negative film that make up the collection. Many were published in two promotional books in the early '90s "SOHO. NYC", and "Below 14th Street" distributed and sold to over 5,000 tourists and residents of the area.
The books were encouraged by the SOHO businesses and residents, and commissioned by several of the businesses after seeing Edelson selling blow-ups on the street in the heart of the area. Being quite enterprising regarding his art, he made a deal with the owner of the Manhattan Bistro Cafe on Spring Street to set up a "relatively permanent street gallery" for several years, May thru September (1991-1993). As a result, Edelson became part of the "creative scene" as well as its documentarian.
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| Edelson at his annual "SOHO Street Art Gallery" |
Summary of Achievements
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Museums that have exhibited Edelson's work include:
Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art,
Historical Museum of Southern Florida
New York Historical Society Museum & Library,
History Miami Museum,
Over 300 limited edition photos sold
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Museums that have exhibited Edelson's work include:
Bass Museum (Miami Beach)
Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art,
Horrt Memorial Award Winner
Historical Museum of Southern Florida
Boca Museum Art Guild,
Annual art competition
1st place prize
1st place prize
•
Exhibitions & permanent collections:
Many gallery exhibitions in S. Florida & NYC
Solo Artist Benefit Exhibitions For
Public Radio WLRN-FM/,
Bacardi Co., & Many Others
New York Historical Society Museum & Library,
57 prints and 2 books from SOHO collection in permanent archive
History Miami Museum,
Digitized slides and negatives from South Beach (SOBE) collection in permanent archive
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Books, posters and limited editions:
Four published books
With total sales over 10,000 copies
Over 2,000 posters &
Over 300 limited edition photos sold
•
Below are some samples from the
Edelson SOHO Collection
Followed by a summary of the artist's career.
Followed by a summary of the artist's career.
Detailed History/Background
Bob Edelson
Photo taken August 1991
Commercial photographer/marketing /executive in the advertising business for 25 years on Madison Avenue's major advertising accounts e.g., Chrysler, Ford, General Foods, Air France, Revlon, etc., While living in NYC, he became enamored of SOHO, the area just south of Houston Street in lower Manhattan, due to the emerging art scene, and the unique architecture mixed w/ funky cafes. And he began photographing it,with little purpose in mind other than to take fine, interesting photos.
Retired to S. Florida in 1985 & began intensive art photography career interspersed w/ commercial projects, e.g., photographing buildings for developers for placement in newspapers & magazines. And he found a new SOHO to photograph, what was to become "South Beach" or SOBE. As he did in SOHO prior, and would continue to do there, he began photographing the unique architecture (art deco) which at the time were quite rundown; as was the entire community. only fit for artists and other poor souls He became involved in the community and w/ other artists started taking over the empty stores on, now ultra hip Lincoln Road. Soon thereafter, his photos were being printed in all the newspapers and magazines in S Florida as representing the NEW South Beach. (See History Miami Museum records/collection.)
Recruited in 1988 by curator of The Bass Museum to provide architectural photography for the museum's 25th anniversary exhibit "Seventy Years of Miami Architecture"; more than 20 of these works became part of the museums permanent collection. In 1989, his art photography won the prestigious Horrt Memorial Award and two of his works were selected for the corresponding Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art exhibition. In 1991, the Bacardi company gave over the gallery in their Miami headquarters to a one man show of his photography (55 cps.) as a tribute to America's Artist Colonies - SOHO, SOBE, Santa Fe, and Key West.
Summers of 1991 thru 1993, he exhibited his photography in a semi-permanent space he created on Spring Street in the heart of SOHO whereby his work was sold to residents & tourists from all parts of the world Several SOHO businesses were so impressed with his SOHO photos they sponsored a book of these works - "SOHO, NYC" - that became one of the best selling art books in NYC in 1993. So he was commissioned to do another NYC book - "Below 14th Street" printed in 1994.
Since the success of his first book, he has been primarily involved in producing and promoting books of his photography, w/ just a smattering of one man exhibitions.There are now 4 books of his work, two websites, a blog & several YouTube videos. His most recent work, and books, are based in "Street Art/Graffiti" photography, as are his websites & blog & videos.
He began photographing street art/graffiti as an aside yet part of the ambience of the communities he was photographing and included some in his early NY books. He became so enamored of "street art", in addition to photographing it as an aside, he began to pursue it wherever it existed, usually in derelict communities, such as north of downtown Miami, an area that is now recognized as the most exciting new hip destinations in the US as a result, partly, due to his early promotion of it's street art covered streets. His collection of Street art photography, begun in the early 1980's up to now is one of the largest in the world and was shot throughout North America & Europe.
So, taken all together, you might say, in addition to being a fine art photographer, and a documentarian of important places in a earlier time, his work had a place in fostering the transformation of three highly famous areas - SOHO, SOBE, and Wynwood (north of downtown Miami). each of which were derelict when he first found them. Where as being in the "right place at the right time" would be considered an achievement, to have done it three times makes Edelson's work exceptional.
Recently two major institutions took note of this work, The New York Historical Society, and the Miami History Museum. The former took a large selection (57) of his New York photo prints and books, the latter, all his SOBE photos and early news and magazine pieces showing his work as representative of the newly refurbished community.
