Shaking Things Up: A Stockholm-based Museum Opens on Park Avenue
Image courtesy of Fotografiska NY
By Kala Herh
Last Saturday a Stockholm-based photography company established a Manhattan outpost on Park Avenue South. Fotografiska resides in a 1894 Renaissance revival-style church mission house in the Flatiron District, and features a gallery space that offers a departure from the traditional “white box model.” This new 45,000 square foot space is spread across six floors — with roughly two artists presenting their work on each floor. Intriguingly enough, this is the same space made famous by the art world scammer, Anna Delvey, who claimed fraudulently that she intended to lease the building as a multi-purpose studio and event space.
Image courtesy of Fotografiska NY
Image courtesy of Fotografiska NY
Inside the impressive faux-gothic building, which was built by Robert Gilbert Wilson 1894, Lana Del Rey’s 2017 pop hit “White Mustang” plays in one of the muted gallery spaces, whose blue-grey walls illicit immediate repose, presenting an ambience that is both modern and welcoming. Ellen von Unwerth’s striking photographs can be found brightening the half-lit rooms: Madonna with a mouth full of pearls, a suggestive Natalie Portman on a kitchen countertop, and a dinner party with glamorous guests devouring everything but turkey are among many of the glamorous shots of women captured by Unwerth over the last thirty years.
Fotografiska was co-founded by the brother duo Jan and Per Broman. It has drawn over four million visitors since the initial establishment in Stockholm in 2010. “We never worked in institutions, so we didn’t have that baggage,” Jan says. “Our purpose was to be a part of the serious photography community in New York, but also to build a place where we wanted to hang out.” The Broman brothers have been mingling with the world of photography for as long as they can remember. Their father was a professional printer and built them a darkroom in their house where they could experiment with photography. With almost twenty years pursuing separate careers in photography, they teamed up as curators in 2008 to open a 60,000-square-foot space in the Sodermalm district. Fotografiska was born.
Image courtesy of Fotografiska NY
Image courtesy of Fotografiska NY
Currently, the subject matter on view ranges from sexuality to global warming to religion. On the top floor of the historically landmarked building is a living room space that is home to rotating installations that serve as the backdrop for talks and concerts. On the floor below resides the largest show, ‘Devotion! 30 Years of Photographing Women’, that explores von Unwerth’s iconic fashion images. The other four photographers on display include: Tawny Chatmon, Helene Schmitz, Adi Nes, Anastasia Taylor-Lind. Fotografiska is a for-profit museum and likewise hinges its business on admission. It is no surprise that the second level has a swanky dining room and bar named Verōnika, designed by restaurateur Stephen Starr. Both the restaurant and the museum are open until 11 p.m.
Image courtesy of Fotografiska NY
Along with its ever-evolving exhibitions, Fotografiska will also include wine tastings, poetry readings, fashion shows, and DJ nights. “Apart from anything illegal, we’re pretty open and ready to try any sort of programming,” says Amanda Hajjar, its director of exhibitions. “I like that we won’t have many rules in the space. We can show a famous artist or someone who’s straight out of college and say, ‘This is what emerging photography looks like in New York right now.’ ”
Fotografiska is more than a photography museum. It is a place ripe with discovery. The conglomerate’s ability to draw connection between unsuspected photography with other artforms and social functions, it offers an immersive environment where a wide audience can share their collective passion for the art and culture of photography.
