Biography of Auke Bergsma
05/08/2015 12:12
"FROM POLAROID TO IMPOSSIBLE. MASTERPIECES OF INSTANT PHOTOGRAPHY." THE WESTLICHT COLLECTION.
...The book concludes with a chapter on the most iconic and widely used Polaroid integral film format. Images such as Auke Bergsma series of figurative colour studies from 1981 have a very spontaneous, playful and fluid feel to them. This vibrant sequence creates a type of fantasy narrative by channelling a spirit of inquisitiveness and furtive excitement. ~ John Matthews, review of the book for PhotoEye Magazinewww.photoeye.com/magazine/reviews/2012/04_23_From_Polaroid_to_Impossible.cfm
AUKE BERGSMA (9 January 1950 Putten, The Netherlands) studied at the Fotovakschool in Apeldoorn. In 1975, at the beginning of his career, Auke Bergsma worked on the series “Punk”: portraits in black and white, which was published in the French magazine 'Zoom'. He gained more international fame in the 1980s, when his work was acquired for the INTERNATIONAL POLAROID COLLECTION.
ZWART-WIT FOTO'S "Punk-serie"1979-1980
SX-70
The vibrant colours of Polaroid film and the fact that it was instant film were supportive to the ideas and concepts of Auke Bergsma. Like no other, all the big names included, he used the medium in line with the time the technology was introduced: typical 1980s! His sequences are not only humoristic, but also use the idea of Polaroid in optima forma.
20x24 inch | 50x60 cm
In 1976 Polaroid introduced a 20x24 inch instant camera. Only two of these giants were available, one was located in New York, the other one in Amsterdam. Bergsma was among the first three European photographers working on this 90kg machine. At that time, 1981, the rental costs were $600 a day. Later, when the Amsterdam camera moved via Offenbach to Prague, the price raised up to $2.000 a day. The material costs of one 20x24 inch Polaroid is $200. Among the photographers following his footsteps are William Wegman, Lukas Samaras, Joyce Tenneson, Mary Ellen Mark, Elsa Dorfman, Andy Warhol, Tim Mantoani, Julian Schnabel, Ansel Adams and Chuck Close. At a 2010 Sotheby’s sale, Polaroids of the photographers mentioned were sold for prices up to $722.500.
International Polaroid Collection
In 1982, Auke Bergsma was asked to sell some of his work to the Polaroid Corporation. He remembers that they paid $900 per Polaroid, a small fortune at that time. And above all, he was ensured of recognition in the art world, because his name was forever connected to the International Polaroid Collection. Many publications followed, like the book “SELECTIONS 1” (1982, Polaroid Corporation), “THE POLAROID BOOK” (2008, Taschen) and “FROM POLAROID TO IMPOSSIBLE” (2011, Hatje Cantz).
In 1986, at the Photokina in Cologne, his work was exhibited and published in “50 years modern color photography 1936-1986”, curated by Manfred Heiting, the current director of the Helmut Newton Foundation.
Danish Museum of Photographic Art
In the early 1990s Auke Bergsma was represented by Galleri Specta in Kopenhagen. His work was purchased by the ROYAL LIBRARY OF KOPENHAGEN, THE FINNISH MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY and private collectors.
In 2006, his Polaroid dyptich “Can You Make A Living From Photography” was on the billboards of “Foto Triennale” in Odense, Denmark. This international photo festival is organised by the DANISH MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ART (MUSEET FOR FOTOKUNST), which in 2007 extended their collection of Auke Bergsma’s Polaroids.
In 2007 he donated a big part of his collection of work and negatives to the Rock Art Museum in Hoek van Holland. Among these were many polaroids of Mieke, lead singer of “De Gigantjes”.
In 2012, his own Polaroid archive was transferred to a Dutch collector, who is now, in close cooperation with Auke Bergsma himself, offering it at this sale.
Currently (from 14 may 2015 - 4 January 2016) the MUSEUM BRANDTS 13 in Odense, Denmark, shows an exhibition titled ‘Adam & Eva’, in which Auke Bergsma’s ‘Adam & Eva’ (similar to lot 002-087) has a prominent role.
REVIEWED BY JOHN MATHEWS, PUBLISHED ON MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2012
From Polaroid to Impossible Edited by Achim Heine, Rebekka Reuter, Ulrike Willingmann, texts by Achim Heine, Barbara P. Hitchcock & Florian Kaps. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.
In a quest to profile Polaroid as a serious and cutting edge art form, its inventor Edwin H. Land and the photographer Ansel Adams established the Polaroid Collection in the late 1950s. The collection was supplemented by the introduction of the Polaroid Artist Support Program in the 1960s, which provided free film and cameras to a range of established and emerging photographers in exchange for selected prints. Photographers donated work on the premise that the collection would remain together for public viewing and study. The mantra of this unique program was innovation, invention and creativity. By 2008 Polaroid had amassed 16,000 prints by a range of high profile artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. However in 2008 Polaroid was declared bankrupt and its assets, including the prestigious collection, were seized and later auctioned. The prospect of the sale produced an outcry from the photography fraternity and a group of artists spearheaded by Chuck Close campaigned against the dispersal of the collection. The European part of the collection has been preserved in its entirety thanks to a successful last minute bid by the Westlicht photography museum in Vienna. The resulting book, From Polariod to Impossible, celebrates the unique characteristics of Polaroid and explores the special relationship that existed between the company and an exciting array of photographers who were given carte blanche to experiment and push the format to its full creative potential.
This book focuses mainly upon Polaroid works from the 1970s and 1980s and is classified by film formats. The first chapter looks at the ultra large 20X24� format that was used exclusively for special Polaroid commissions. Only seven of these cameras were ever manufactured and each required a team of Polaroid technicians to transport and operate. One such commission from 1989 is �Ritual Observance� by Dennis Farber, which depicts an outdoor gym. The photograph has been embellished with layers of paint and gold leaf, which accentuates the energy and nascent qualities of the Polaroid image. A majority of the 20X24� images from this chapter tend to be very polished and meticulous studio based works, which is probably due to the cumbersome scale and expense of the format.
The chapter featuring the 4X5� and 8X10� Polaroid formats contains an eclectic mix of portraits, abstractions and colour studies. These images range from everyday geometric investigations such as Terry Walker�s �Traffic Barrels� 1975, to more staged works such as Paul Huf�s haunting �Untitled� image from 1977, which features a dreamlike and sensual tableaux of draped mannequins. The book concludes with a chapter on the most iconic and widely used Polaroid integral film format. Images such as Auke Bergsma series of figurative colour studies from 1981 have a very spontaneous, playful and fluid feel to them. This vibrant sequence creates a type of fantasy narrative by channelling a spirit of inquisitiveness and furtive excitement.
Within our current digital age there is nothing to quite rival the tactile and alchemical qualities of Polaroid. The Polaroid archive spans more than sixty years and contains over 16,000 images. This book provides a brief glimpse into that unique collection and is a fitting tribute to the innovation, invention and creativity that the Polaroid format inspired.—JOHN MATHEWS
JOHN MATHEWS is an artist and curator from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
"Jeanette", 1983
SX-70 Polaroid, 1983
Signed and dated on verso
Estimate € 80 - € 120, start bid € 10
Auke Bergsma »
80’s Polaroids
Online auction
Tue 22 Sep
photography-auction.com
Maziestraat 2
2514 GT Den Haag
2514 GT Den Haag
"The Kiss" (set of 4, 1982)
SX-70 Polaroid
Signed and dated on verso
Estimate € 320 - € 480, start bid € 10
Auction 002: 80’s Polaroids | Auke Bergsma
€ 10 No Reserve Online Only Auction
Tuesday 22 September 2015 | 13.00 GMT (15.00 CET)
Catalogue: available online for € 45.
www.photography-auction.com
€ 10 No Reserve Online Only Auction
Tuesday 22 September 2015 | 13.00 GMT (15.00 CET)
Catalogue: available online for € 45.
www.photography-auction.com
On Tuesday, 22 September 2015, Photography-Auction will present its 2nd auction: 80’s Polaroids by Auke Bergsma. Our mission is to offer broad access to the best works of photography without restrictions on minimum consignment values and at low premiums for sellers and buyers. Our concept "Photography Only - Online Only" is unique in the current art market and brings us back what auctions historically used to be: a place where art dealers and collectors can buy at market prices instead of paying retail prices. A competitive buyer’s and seller’s premium - set at just 10% - contributes to this goal.
Dutch photographer Auke Bergsma (1950, Putten, The Netherlands) is an icon when it comes to Polaroid photography. Since the early 1970s, the Polaroid Corporation gave films to a selected group of photographers. Among them are Ansel Adams, Aaron Siskind, Jeanloup Sieff, Robert Mapplethorpe, Oliviero Toscani, Helmut Newton, Andy Warhol and Auke Bergsma. In return, Polaroid had the right to acquire some of the Polaroids they created. In this way the famous International Polaroid Collection (polaroid-impossible-the-westlicht-collection) was built.
Dutch photographer Auke Bergsma (1950, Putten, The Netherlands) is an icon when it comes to Polaroid photography. Since the early 1970s, the Polaroid Corporation gave films to a selected group of photographers. Among them are Ansel Adams, Aaron Siskind, Jeanloup Sieff, Robert Mapplethorpe, Oliviero Toscani, Helmut Newton, Andy Warhol and Auke Bergsma. In return, Polaroid had the right to acquire some of the Polaroids they created. In this way the famous International Polaroid Collection (polaroid-impossible-the-westlicht-collection) was built.
Untitled (1980)
SX-70 Polaroid
Signed and dated on recto
Estimate € 80 - € 120, start bid € 10
Polaroid itself published books of this collection (Selections 1, 1982), and later Taschen published ‘The Polaroid Book’ (2008), which became a best seller. Finally, in 2011 Haje Cantz published ‘From Polaroid to Impossible’. All of these publications include pages with SX-70 Polaroids made by Auke Bergsma.
In a review of the book "From Polaroid to Impossible. Masterpieces of Instant Photography", John Matthews wrote for Photoeye Magazine "…The book concludes with a chapter on the most iconic and widely used Polaroid integral film format. Images such as Auke Bergsma's series of figurative color studies from 1981 have a very spontaneous, playful and fluid feel to them. This vibrant sequence creates a type of fantasy narrative by channeling a spirit of inquisitiveness and furtive excitement."
Auke Bergsma's work is in the permanent collections of Museum Westlicht in Vienna, The Royal Library of Copenhagen, The Finnish Museum of Photography, Museum Brandts 13 and the Danish Museum of Photographic Art (Museet For Fotokunst).
Now his full archive of Polaroids, including 20x24" and SX-70 Polaroids, is on sale at Photography Auction. A once in a lifetime opportunity to buy these typical 1980s photographs. Lots will be sold individually and as per set (his humourist sequences). The auction, which is online already, will end on Tuesday 22 September at 13.00 GMT (15.00 CET).
In a review of the book "From Polaroid to Impossible. Masterpieces of Instant Photography", John Matthews wrote for Photoeye Magazine "…The book concludes with a chapter on the most iconic and widely used Polaroid integral film format. Images such as Auke Bergsma's series of figurative color studies from 1981 have a very spontaneous, playful and fluid feel to them. This vibrant sequence creates a type of fantasy narrative by channeling a spirit of inquisitiveness and furtive excitement."
Auke Bergsma's work is in the permanent collections of Museum Westlicht in Vienna, The Royal Library of Copenhagen, The Finnish Museum of Photography, Museum Brandts 13 and the Danish Museum of Photographic Art (Museet For Fotokunst).
Now his full archive of Polaroids, including 20x24" and SX-70 Polaroids, is on sale at Photography Auction. A once in a lifetime opportunity to buy these typical 1980s photographs. Lots will be sold individually and as per set (his humourist sequences). The auction, which is online already, will end on Tuesday 22 September at 13.00 GMT (15.00 CET).
"Pontiac Laurentian 1959", Mieke (1985)
SX-70 Polaroid
Signed and dated on recto
Estimate € 80 - € 120, start bid € 10
"Zebra" (1981)
20x24 inch Polaroid
Signed and dated on recto
Estimate € 80 - € 120, start bid € 10
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