polaroid [im]possible at westlicht

 
oliviero toscani: 'andy warhol with camera'
1974, polaroid type 105
3¼ x 4¼"
© oliviero toscani


over 350 polaroid photos by artists ranging from ansel adams to andy warhol are on exhibition at vienna's westlicht museum of photography, representing over forty years' worth of diverse polaroid films and artistic approaches.

beginning in the 1960's, polaroid inventor edwin herbert land provided artists and photographers with polaroid materials with which they could experiment, resulting in a collection encompassing 4400 pieces by 800 international artists and utilizing a range of polaroid film types. weslicht obtained the works, preventing dispersal of the pieces, following the public outcry that resulted when liquidators attempted to privately auction polaroid's european and american collections. 
the current exhibition presents over 350 of the photographs, representing about 150 artists.

'polaroid [im]possible' also includes photos by contemporary artists working with the recently released 'impossible' polaroid films. 
photographs by american photographer david levinthal offer an interesting bridge between the worlds of old and new, 
as he created the 'space series' for the historic collection and now returns with 'vietnam series', created with the impossible material.



paul huf (untitled)
1977, polaroid type 808
8 x 10"
© paul huf/ VBK wien, 2011



patrick nagatani: 'cinema II'
detail from the image 'alamogordo blues'
1986, polaroid spectra
© patrick nagatani



mark morrisroe: 'nyph-o-maniac'
1983, polaroid 35mm polachrome 
cibachrome print with paint, 10.4 x 15.7"
© the estate of mark morrisroe



paul de nooijer: 'fancy cake IV'
1977, polaroid SX-70
triptych
© paul de nooijer



minor white: 'boundary mountain, benton, california'
1959, polaroid type 52
4 x 5"
© trustees of princeton university



nobuyoshi araki (untitled)
2010, PX 100 silver shade
© nobuyoshi araki



vicki lee ragan
the princess and the frogs
1983, polaroid polacolor
20 x 24"
© vicki lee ragan



david levinthal, from the 'vietnam series'
2011, PX 600 silver shade black frame
© david levinthal



andy warhol: andy sneezing
1978 polaroid SX-70
© the andy warhol foundation for the visual arts inc. / VBK, wien 2011



charles eames: untitled
1975, Polaroid SX-70
© eames office, LLC 



ansel adams
window, bear valley, california
1973, polaroid type 55
gelatin silver print 9.8 x 13.3"
© the ansel adams publishing rights trust



luigi ghirri: amsterdam
1980, polaroid polacolor
20 x 24''
© eredi di luigi ghirri



sahin kaygun: nude
1983, polaroid 600 HS
hand-colored
© burçak kaygun 

via designboom