Pier 24 Photography is a non-profit art museum located on the Port of San Francisco directly under the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. The organization houses the permanent collection of the Pilara Foundation, which collects, preserves and exhibits photography.[1][2] It produces exhibitions, publications, and public programs.[3] Pier 24 Photography is the largest exhibition space in the world dedicated solely to photography.[4][5]
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Established | 2010 |
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Location | Pier 24, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, California |
Coordinates | 37°47′21″N 122°23′16″W / 37.7891323°N 122.3877268°W |
Type | Photography, Art, Nonprofit organization |
Visitors | Free by Appointment |
Founder | Andrew Pilara and Mary Pilara |
Director | Christopher McCall and Allie Haeusslein |
Public transit access | Muni: Folson & Embarcadero Station Lines B.A.R.T.: Embarcadero Station |
Nearest parking | Pier 30 Parking Lot Harrison & Embarcadero |
Website | www |
Collection
editRevelations—the Diane Arbus retrospective organized by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2003—inspired the purchase of the Pilara Foundation’s first photograph, a portrait from her "Untitled" series.[6] The collection has grown to over 4,000 works spanning the history of the medium and its international breadth. At the collection’s core are those photographers first exhibited in two seminal twentieth-century exhibitions: New Documents (1967) at the Museum of Modern Art and New Topographics (1975) at George Eastman Museum. In recent years, the Foundation has collected more emerging photographers in depth, developing holdings that reflect evolving practices within the medium.[7][8]
Auction
editIn May 2023 Sotheby's New York held an auction entitled "Pier 24 Photography from the Pilara Family Foundation Sold to Benefit Charitable Organizations".[9] As Sotheby's stated:
In July 2025, the Pilara Foundation will pivot its philanthropic focus by transitioning to a granting foundation focused on supporting organizations devoted to healthcare research, education, and the arts. 100% of the proceeds from the auctions of Pier 24 Photography from the Pilara Family Foundation Sold to Benefit Charitable Organizations will provide direct benefit to critical programs and research that will impact communities in need.
- Dorothea Lange oversized 1940s-era print of Migrat Mother for double estimate $609,000.[10]
- Lee Friedlander's The Little Screens in 52 signed-pieces for $609,600 [11]
- Hiroshi Sugimoto's 1999 The Music Lesson for $508,000 [12]
- Robert Frank's 1955 Charleston S. C. for almost triple estimate $952,500 [13]
- Richard Avedon's Juan Patricio Lobato, Carney, Rocky Ford, Colorado, August 23, 1980 for $444,500 [14]
Exhibitions
edit- Pier 24: The Inaugural Exhibition, March 16, 2010 – June 16, 2010[15]
- From the Collection of Randi and Bob Fisher, September 16, 2010 – February 28, 2011[16]
- Here., May 23, 2011 – January 31, 2012[17][18]
- About Face, May 15, 2012 – April 30, 2013[19]
- A Sense of Place, July 1, 2013 – May 30, 2014[20][21]
- Secondhand, August 1, 2014 – May 31, 2015[22][23]
- The Whiteness of the Whale, August 3, 2015 – February 29, 2016[24][25][26]
- Collected, May 2, 2016 – January 31, 2017[27][28]
- The Grain of the Present, April 1, 2017 – March 31, 2018[29]
- This Land, June 1, 2018 - March 31, 2019[30]
- Looking Back: Ten Years of Pier 24 Photography, July 1, 2019 - April 30, 2020[31]
Larry Sultan Visiting Artist Program
editThe Larry Sultan Visiting Artist Program is a collaboration between Pier 24 Photography, California College of the Arts and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art created in honor of the influential Bay Area photographer and educator, Larry Sultan.[32] Each year, the program brings six international artists to San Francisco. During their visits, artists provide a free lecture open to the public. They also work with graduate students at California College of the Arts, mentoring them in the studio and taking them on citywide fieldtrips.[33][34]
Visiting artists
edit- Thomas Demand (German)
- Naoya Hatakeyama (Japanese)
2011
- Paul Graham (British)
- Erik Kessels (Dutch)
- Sophie Calle (French)
- Walid Raad (Lebanese)
- Cuny Janssen (Dutch)
- Alec Soth (American)
2012
- Stephen Shore (American)[35]
- Jason Fulford (American)[36]
- LaToya Ruby Frazier (American)
- Charlotte Cotton (British)
- Zoe Strauss (American)
- David Goldblatt (South African)
2013
- Tod Papageorge (American)
- Martin Parr (British)[37]
- Mark Steinmetz (American)
- Rinko Kawauchi (Japanese)
- Collier Schorr (American)
- Kalup Linzy (American)
2014
- Anouk Kruithof (Dutch)
- Philip Gefter and Mike Mandel (American)[38]
- Michael Wolf (German)
- Charlotte Cotton (British)[39]
- Joel Sternfeld (American)
- Simon Baker (British)[40]
- David Levi Strauss (American)
2015
- Laura Wexler (American)[41]
- Daniel Gordon (American)
- Paul Graham (British)
- Alison Rossiter (American)[42]
- Owen Kydd (Canadian)[43]
2016
- John Divola (American)[44]
- An-My Lê (American)[45]
- Marco Breuer (German)[46]
- John Houck (American)[47]
- Sharon Lockhart (American)[48]
- Viviane Sassen (Dutch)
2017
- Lieko Shiga (Japanese)
- Mickalene Thomas (American)
- Hank Willis Thomas (American)
- Awoiska van der Molen (Dutch)
- Shannon Ebner (American)
- Kerry Tribe (American)
2018
- Lyle Ashton Harris (American)
- Trevor Paglen (American)
Larry Sultan Photography Award
editIn 2016, Pier 24 Photography in partnership with California College of the Arts, Headlands Center for the Arts, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art launched the Larry Sultan Photography Award. The award includes a six- to ten-week residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, California, and a $10,000 cash award.[49]
Recipients
edit- 2016: Marco Breuer[50]
- 2017: Awoiska van der Molen[51]
- 2018: Bieke Depoorter[52]
- 2019: Jonathan Calm[53]
Publications
edit- Here., San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2011. ISBN 978-0-9839917-0-0. Exhibition guide.
- About Face, San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2012. ISBN 978-0-9839917-1-7. Exhibition guide.
- A Sense of Place, San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9839917-3-1. Exhibition guide.
- About Face. San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2014. ISBN 978-0-9839917-2-4. Exhibition catalog. Edition of 1000 copies. With forewords by Christopher McCall, and Richard Avedon (from In The American West), an introduction by Philip Gefter, and texts by Sandra S. Phillips, and Ulrike Schneider.
- Secondhand, San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2014. ISBN 978-0-9839917-5-5. Exhibition guide.
- A Sense of Place, San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2015. ISBN 978-0-9839917-4-8. Exhibition catalog. Edition of 1000 copies.
- Conversations: Secondhand, San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2015. ISBN 978-0-9839917-7-9.
- Paul Graham: The Whiteness of the Whale, London: Mack; San Francisco, Pier 24 Photography, 2015. ISBN 978-1-91016-432-7.
- Day for Night Photographs by Richard Learoyd, New York: Aperture; San Francisco, Pier 24 Photography, 2015.[54][55] ISBN 978-1-59711-329-8.
- Rochester 585/716: A Postcard from America Project, New York: Aperture; San Francisco, Pier 24 Photography, 2015.[56] ISBN 978-1-59711-340-3. Edition of 1000 copies.
- Collected, San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9839917-8-6. Exhibition guide.
- Secondhand, San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9839917-6-2. Exhibition catalog. Edition of 1000 copies.
- Collected, San Francisco, Pier 24 Photography, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9972432-0-8 Exhibition Catalog. Edition of 1000 copies.
- The Grain of the Present, San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9972432-1-5. Exhibition guide.
- John Chiara: California, New York: Aperture; San Francisco, Pier 24 Photography, 2017. ISBN 978-1597114233
- The Grain of the Present, San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2017. ISBN 978-1-59711-000-6. Exhibition Catalog. Edition of 1000 copies.
- This Land, San Francisco: Pier 24 Photography, 2018. ISBN Exhibition Catalog. ISBN 978-1597110037. Edition of 750 copies.
The building
editLocated just south of the Ferry Building on the Port of San Francisco, Pier 24 Photography is housed in the Pier 24 annex. Originally designed to connect Piers 24 and Pier 26, the Pier 24 annex was originally built to be a 28,000 square foot cargo shed for truck side loading. Pier 24 was constructed between 1912 and 1916, and the annex followed in 1935-36. Several businesses were housed in Pier 24 annex over the twentieth century, including Nelson Steamship Company, American-Hawaiian Steamship Company and Williams, Diamond & Company. The principal cargo stored by these companies included sugar, copra, vanilla, whale oil, and hides. Pier 24 was demolished after its transit shed and bulkhead caught fire in 1997. While the last remnants of Pier 24’s substructure were fully demolished in 2004, the Pier 24 annex remained intact.
The building is rented from the Port of San Francisco, which until 2017 granted the museum rent credits in exchange for repairs and improvements; these expired with the end of the lease term in 2017, and since the museum refused to pay the increased rent, in December 2019 the port served the foundation with notice that it must vacate the building and may be sued for underpayment of rent during the two years since the lease expired.[57]
References
edit- ^ Spiegel, Brendan (31 December 2010). "San Francisco's unusual new museum of photography". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ^ Mulvihill, Margan (6 December 2010). "Emotional Documentary: Andy Pilara's Photography Collection". editionedartmag.com/. Editioned Art Magazine. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ^ Gefter, Phillip. "Pier 24 Photography" (PDF). Aperture Foundation.
- ^ Lombardi, Matthew. "Pier 24, San Francisco's fantastic photography freebie". BBC Worldwide.
- ^ Littlejoh, David (24 February 2011). "Free to Focus on the Pictures Inside". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ^ "Vast photo collection shown in S.F. Warehouse". 9 May 2010.
- ^ "Collection - Pier 24". Pier 24 Photography.
- ^ Whiting, Sam (2 May 2016). "Gallery intern improbably leaps to important show". SFGate.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/pier-24-photography-from-the-pilara-family-foundation-sold-to-benefit-charitable-organizations-evening-sale [bare URL]
- ^ "Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California | Pier 24 Photography from the Pilara Family Foundation Sold to Benefit Charitable Organizations Evening Sale | Photographs".
- ^ "The Little Screens | Pier 24 Photography from the Pilara Family Foundation Sold to Benefit Charitable Organizations Evening Sale | Photographs".
- ^ "The Music Lesson | Pier 24 Photography from the Pilara Family Foundation Sold to Benefit Charitable Organizations Evening Sale | Photographs".
- ^ "'Charleston S. C.' | Pier 24 Photography from the Pilara Family Foundation Sold to Benefit Charitable Organizations Evening Sale | Photographs".
- ^ "Juan Patricio Lobato, Carney, Rocky Ford, Colorado, August 23, 1980 | Pier 24 Photography from the Pilara Family Foundation Sold to Benefit Charitable Organizations Evening Sale | Photographs".
- ^ Whiting, Sam (9 May 2010). "Vast photo collection shown in S.F. warehouse". SFGate.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ Catherine. "From the Collection of Randi and Bob Fisher - Art Practical". Art Practical.
- ^ Winant, Carmen (25 May 2011). "Home is Where the 'Here' Is: Photography at Pier 24". KQED. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ Whiting, Sam (16 June 2011). "John Chiara's camera obscura captures big picture". SFGate.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ^ George, Kendall (2 February 2013). "About Face at Pier 24 Photography". SFAQ. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ "A Sense of Place" (PDF). Artforum. October 1, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ Aletti, Vince (December 1, 2014). "Best of 2014" (PDF). Artforum. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ Smithson, Aline (7 January 2015). "Secondhand at Pier 24 Photography". Lenscratch. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ "Daniel Gordon on view at Pier 24 Photography" (PDF). Harper's Magazine. February 1, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
- ^ Gefter, Phillip (21 February 2016). "Paul Graham and Seizing the Everyday Moments". The New York Times.
- ^ Harrison Tedford, Matthew (19 August 2015). "Paul Graham's Photos Tell Expansive Story of Everyday America". KQED. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ Haeusslein, Allie (October 28, 2015). "Paul Graham on The Whiteness of the Whale at Pier 24 Photography". Aperture Foundation. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
- ^ Desmarais, Charles (June 3, 2016). "Photography show a snapshot of collectors' selves". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ Pollock, Lindsay (May 16, 2016). "Local Largesse: Collected in San Francisco". Art in America. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
- ^ Desmarais, Charles (June 3, 2016). "Ways of viewing the social landscape at Pier 24 Photography". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ Hotchkiss, Sarah (July 5, 2018). "Pier 24 Offers a Dark Look at America's Past Decade in 'This Land'". KQED. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- ^ "Aesthetica Magazine - Defining Images". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
- ^ Winant, Carmen (4 November 2014). "The Influence and Legacy of Larry Sultan". time.com. Time. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ^ "Larry Sultan Visiting Artist Program & Award". California College of the Arts. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ "Programs".
- ^ "Stephen Shore Artist Talk".
- ^ "Jason Fulford".
- ^ ""Too Much is Enough": A Talk on Garry Winogrand".
- ^ "Philip Gefter and Mike Mandel".
- ^ "Charlotte Cotton".
- ^ "Simon Baker".
- ^ "Laura Wexler".
- ^ "Alison Rossiter".
- ^ "Owen Kydd".
- ^ "John Divola".
- ^ "An-My Lê".
- ^ "Marco Breuer".
- ^ "John Houck".
- ^ "Sharon Lockhart".
- ^ "Larry Sultan Photography Award - Headlands Center for the Arts". Headlands Center for the Arts. 17 September 2015.
- ^ "Marco Breuer Wins Larry Sultan Award". Photograph. 4 October 2015.
- ^ "Awoiska van der Molen - Headlands Center for the Arts". Headlands Center for the Arts. 9 May 2017.
- ^ "Bieke Depoorter - Headlands Center for the Arts". Headlands Center for the Arts. 5 September 2018.
- ^ "Jonathan Calm". Pier 24 Photography. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- ^ De Stefani, Lucia (29 September 2015). "See the Eerie Life-Size Portraits Created in a Camera Obscura". Time. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ De Jong, Laura (25 November 2015). "Day For Night". GUP magazine. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ^ Grossman, Debbie (25 September 2015). "How Does it Feel To Have Magnum Photographers Document Your Town?". American Photo magazine. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ^ Fracassa, Dominic; Whiting, Sam (December 13, 2019). "Wealthy art collector's SF photo museum faces eviction over rent spat". San Francisco Chronicle.
External links
edit- Official website
- Sotheby's May 2023 Auction