This N That: Keep In The Know With Photography News

Photo by Linda McCartney

By Charlie Breen

Linda McCartney Photograph Collection Donated to the Glasgow Museums

Following the well-received presentation of the photographs of Linda McCartney at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Paul McCartney has gifted a limited-edition set of photographs taken by his late wife to the Glasgow Museums.

A photographer, musician, and animal rights activist, Linda McCartney leaves behind a collection of photography that captured the counter-culture of the 1960s, her love of animals and the outdoors, as well as her friends and family. The show at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery not only showcased McCartney’s skill as a photographer, but also included images of world-famous rock stars like Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix.

Through the showing of Linda’s work organized by Paul and his daughters, Stella and Mary, as well as the gifting of images to the museum, the talented photographer’s legacy is given a new lease of life. ‘The Linda McCartney Retrospective’ is on display at the Kelvington Art Gallery and Museum through January 12, 2020.

Courtesy of Victoria Schafer Photography

Teen Horseplay Results in Photographer’s Death

Ohio authorities have arrested two teenagers in connection with the death of photographer Victoria Schafer. Mother of four, Schafer was struck by a 75-pound log on September 2nd while photographing high school seniors at Hocking Hills State Park in Logan.

Schafer was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators were able to determine that the log was far too large to have simply rolled down the 75 foot cliff from which it struck the photographer. It was clear that this was not a natural occurrence. Receiving information the involvement of two teenage boys in the incident, detectives conducted interviews with the individuals and obtained a confession. The 16-year-olds were taken into custody on October 10th. Their names will remain unreleased.

Despite the grief that this leaves Schafer’s family with, her son hopes to speak in court and ensure the tragic accident doesn’t ruin the lives of the two teenagers.

Larry Fink. Photo by Evan Angostini

MoMA

With the unveiling of a $450 million renovation campaign on Thursday, October 10th, the Museum of Modern Art has made numerous headlines this week. Now, with news of an open letter that exposes connections between the institution and the private prison system, MoMA is hot topic for another reason.

More than 220 artists, academics and curators have called out MoMA and trustee, Larry Fink, in an open letter for financial involvement with services and organizations that have stakes in private prisons. Circulated by New Sanctuary Coalition, the letter comes after Art Space Sanctuary announced a campaign against Fink, the CEO of investment firm Black Rock. It also says that MoMA relies on Fidelity Investments, a company that owns stock in private prison companies, to manage its pension fund, and reports that Fink is a stakeholder in GEO Group and Core Civic, which both operate private prisons.

Available on New Sanctuary Coalition’s website, the letter begins by saying – “We denounce MoMA’s connections to mass incarceration, global dispossession and climate catastrophe, and demand that MoMA’s Board member Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock divest from prison companies, the war machine and the destruction of the global environment. Stopping the global cycles of dispossession, displacement and detention, and reinvesting in the basic necessities of food, shelter, health and freedom are the best ways to ensure that communities worldwide thrive.”

The letter released on Thursday is the latest development in the campaign to have MoMA and Larry Fink divest from involvement in prison companies, which began back in March. Despite the level of controversy this brings to light, it is unlikely to dampen the hype around the opening of the new renovations at MoMA.

Courtesy of Airbus

Import Price Increase for Printed Goods

Due to a ruling given by the World Trade Organization earlier this month, the United States has been given the authority to impose tariffs on a variety of European import products. The decision stems from a trade dispute lasting fifteen years between the U.S. and the European Union over the manufacturing of airplanes.

From October 18th, the U.S. will begin imposing a 25 percent import charge on a number of products coming from Germany and the United Kingdom. Photographs, pictures, and designs printed in the last twenty years, as well as brochures, leaflets, printed books, and lithographs on paper or paperboard created in the last twenty years will all be subjected to the new import duty charges. All due to a $7.5 billion arbitration decision reached by the World Trade Organization over subsidies that the E.U. provides to the airplane manufacturer Airbus in violation of previously established trade agreements.

Not only could these new import costs be passed on to buyers, but since the tariffs will apply to many works of photography and art the impact that this has on active artists and galleries could be devastating.

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