What’s exciting about the show overall is the spirit of influence and mentorship. Has there been anyone with whom you’ve had a mentorship or professional partnership?
That’s a really important question. I really enjoy my relationships with other gallerists. Sean Kelly has been a wonderful supporter of the gallery. He also loves photography. I would say that Sikkema Jenkins and I have had a close relationship. We share an artist, which is an unusual situation, but I’ve really enjoyed the collaboration. It makes the whole experience richer.
There have been a couple of collectors that were interesting mentors. Certain collectors who are very passionate about the medium teach you as much as you teach them. They have inquisitive minds and great eyes. I really value those relationships too.
What was it like to find your first gallery space and think about your first show there?
In the ’90s, when I decided to open a gallery, I was very close to some other dealers. When one of them told me they were going to move their gallery, I grabbed their space. That was my first gallery in SoHo at 560 Broadway, which was, in a way, a historic gallery building. Jack Shaiman, David Nolan, and Max Protetch were there, so that was a great building to be in. My first show, by the way, was with Sebastião Salgado, who just died.
I’m so sorry to hear that he passed.
It was such a shock because he’s been part of my program since the beginning. He was an extraordinary person. I used to call him a man with a mission. He was already a big name when I opened the gallery, so for him to agree to be my first show and to be represented by me was a brave vote of confidence.
Gallerists aren’t necessarily viewed as creatives themselves, but I find that being a photo editor is still a very rich and creative position, even though I’m not necessarily producing something myself. Do you look to other art besides photography for inspiration?
I would say yes to all of that. I look at work all the time, and I’m a big fiction reader. I just finished a Philip Roth book called The Human Stain. I like to read really good literature. Books inform the way I look at things. I was trained as an art historian, rather than a photographer, so I’m often drawn to work where I can see the references to art historical works. It’s like listening to music and noting the references in it to other music. I look at everything, really: ceramics, painting, drawing, sculpture, textiles. I just have this specialized knowledge in terms of photo-based work. I’ll go see “Sargent and Paris” at The Met on Monday. My husband says, “It’s your day off. Don’t you want to take a break?” And I say, “This is what I love to do.”
“Celebrating 30 Years” is on view at Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York from July 16 to August 15.
