HELEN GEE AND THE LIMELIGHT: THE BIRTH OF THE PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY

Chicago, IL: Stephen Daiter Gallery, 2001. First Edition. First Printing.. Softcover. As New/No Dust Jacket, As Issued.. Chicago, IL: Stephen Daiter Gallery, 2001. Softcover. As New/None, As Issued. First Edition/First Printing. 68 pages. Exhibition Catalog. One of the most beautiful and important art photography catalogs ever published in our time. The first and only edition. Published in a small and limited first print run as a softcover original only. There is no ISBN. The Exhibition Catalog is now rare. An austerely elegant production by Stephen Daiter Gallery: Regular-sized volume format. Pictorial softcovers with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Photographs by Robert Frank and other contributors, a Who's Who of 20th-century photography. Essay by Peter C. Bunnell. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper in the United States to the highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Published on the occasion of the landmark retrospective exhibition of the same name held at Stephen Daiter Gallery Chicago in 2001. Presents "Helen Gee And The Limelight: The Birth of The Photography Gallery". A valentine to a trailblazer, her influential photography gallery, and ultimately, to the history of photography itself. "Limelight, which Helen Gee opened in 1954 on Sheridan Square at 91 Seventh Avenue South in the Village, was one of the very few places in New York where you could see photographs intelligently selected and exhibited. The only other notable place was the Museum of Modern Art. At Limelight, there was an atmosphere of relaxed intimacy and of seeing pictures beautifully" (Peter C. Bunnell). Some of the greatest photographs by some of the greatest photographers were first shown by Helen Gee at Limelight: Berenice Abbott, Edouard Boubat, Brassai, Josef Breitenbach, Wynn Bullock, Julia Margaret Cameron, Robert Doisneau, Robert Frank, Helen Levitt, Lisette Model, Arnold Newman, Aaron Siskind, Louis Stettner, Sabine Weiss, and Minor White, among others. It should be noted, however, that Frank's photographs have been papered over/covered in most copies because he threatened to sue: Robert Frank and Helen Gee were lovers; the vintage prints were gifts to her, making them both sentimental and valuable for everyone concerned. This copy is Complete and Uncensored, with his images intact and visible. An absolute "must-have" title for Helen Gee, Robert Frank, and photography book collectors. This title is a contemporary art photography classic. As far as we know, this is the only such copy of the Exhibition Catalog available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: This copy of the Exhibition Catalog is Complete and Uncensored, with all four Robert Frank exquisite images intact and visible. Frank's photographs have been papered over/covered in most copies because he threatened to sue: Robert Frank and Helen Gee were lovers; the vintage prints were gifts to her, making them both sentimental and valuable for everyone concerned. A rare copy thus. Lavishly illustrated with black-and-white plates and archival materials. Some of the greatest photographers of the 20th century. At the age of 92, Robert Frank was profiled in 2016 by The New York Times as "the greatest photographer of our time". A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER ROBERT FRANK TITLES IN OUR CATALOG).