INFOCUS PHOTOBID 2015

INFOCUS, the photography support organization of Phoenix Art Museum, invites the public to its seventh annual PhotoBid auction and exhibition. The auction will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2015 at Phoenix Art Museum. In the three weeks preceding, the works will be up as an exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum for bidders and the public to view.

After a very successful year that saw INFOCUS – together with its members, sponsors and supporters – entirely fund a juried exhibition of self-published photobooks, present the first-ever Zuber Photography Award to an early-career artist and underwrite four excellent exhibition brochures, the organization is looking forward to its primary annual fundraising event.

About the PhotoBid Auction

INFOCUS PhotoBid is a fun and festive event, for seasoned or new collectors, or anyone who has a passion for photography. The silent and live auction components, featuring more than 50 signed, limited edition photographic prints and books by acclaimed photographers from Arizona and the U.S., are opportunities to own an original work of art. Guests at the auction will enjoy a raffle, door prizes, music, hors d’oeuvres and a well-stocked bar.

The photographic works presented in the PhotoBid exhibition and auction are selected by internationally recognized curator, Rebecca Senf, Ph.D., the Norton Family Curator of Photography at Phoenix Art Museum. Previous Auctions have included works from eminent photographers such as Debra Bloomfield, Barbara Bosworth, Linda Connor, Ralph Gibson, Luis Gonzalez-Palma, Kenro Izu, Mark Klett, Danny Lyon, David Maisel, Nicholas Nixon, Alex Webb, Rebecca Norris Webb and Joel-Peter Witkin; and work by increasingly well-known emerging photographers such as David Emitt Adams, Mary Ellen Bartley, Chris Colville, Binh Danh, Sean Deckert, Daniel Leivick, Chris McCaw, Lisa Robinson and Jamey Stillings.

Typical opening bid prices have ranged from $350-2,500 and prints offered vary in size and subject matter, and have included diverse processes such as platinum/palladium, gelatin silver, archival inkjet, wet plate collodion, lenticular and more. The auction and raffle items are generously donated by the artists and supported by sponsors.

Another exciting element at PhotoBid is the presentation of the annual INFOCUS Founders Award, which honors an individual, business or organization whose efforts have advanced the cause and improved public awareness of fine art photography in Arizona. Recent recipients were Allen Dutton in 2013 and Dick Arentz in 2014. The recipient of the 2015 Founders Award will be announced soon.

In addition to the opening of the PhotoBid exhibition on October 24, an exciting schedule of events leading up to the auction is planned. These include advice on collecting photography and how to bid at a live auction, several talks by artists whose work is included in the auction and a scavenger hunt in the Norton Gallery itself. More details on each of these events will be forthcoming as plans are finalized. All events are open to the public and, except for the scavenger hunt, will take place on a Wednesday night when the Museum is open until 9 p.m., with no admission charge.

To purchase tickets and for additional PhotoBid information
A limited number of early bird tickets for the PhotoBid auction will be on sale for $39 from August 1 to September 15. Advance purchase tickets after September 15 are $49 and will go up to $60 at the door on the night of the event. To purchase tickets, or for additional information about the PhotoBid auction, please visit infocus-phxart.org/photobid2015. For additional information about scheduled public programs and the PhotoBid exhibition, please visit phxart.org.

Header image © Randall Bohl

Bill Timmerman, Two Saguaros, 2002, Edition 1/10. Toned gelatin silver print, 6 x 4 inches. Fair Market Value $800. © Bill Timmerman. Donated by the artist, courtesy of Joseph Bellows Gallery.

Kate Breakey, Still Life with Five Figs, from the Goldleaf series, 2015, Edition 7/20. Digital print on glass with gold leaf, 8.5 x 11 inches. Fair Market Value $1,350. © Kate Breakey. Donated by the artist.

Dick Arentz, Surf, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 1985, Edition 10/50. Platinum-palladium print, 14 x 18 inches. Fair Market Value $850. © Dick Arentz. Donated by the artist.