This Year’s Photography Show by AIPAD Casts a Wide Net From Historic Images to NFTs—Here Are Some of the Highlights

The Association of International Photography Art Dealers, commonly known as AIPAD, represents over 80 leading photography galleries from around the world, and for over 40 years has been dedicated to fostering and promoting the scholarship, exhibition, and market of fine art photography. Presented by AIPAD, the Photography Show returns for its 42nd edition in New York this month, running March 31 through April 2, 2023, at Center415. Earlier this year, AIPAD announced the appointment of Lydia Melamed Johnson as the new executive director. Of the forthcoming fair, Melamed Johnson said, “We’ve had an incredible response so far for the 2023 show, and I’m looking forward to being able to build on what we accomplished last year, including growing to welcome back guest exhibitors and publishers as we did at the Piers.”

An early initiative introduced by Melamed Johnson is the Associate Membership, an introductory membership that provides accessibility and support for emerging galleries that are less than five years old, which is currently the age of operation needed for full AIPAD membership. These associate members will be showing for the first time this year, alongside a roster of prestigious AIPAD gallery members. Together, 44 galleries will come together—from local to international—to present both new and historic museum-quality photography in addition to a range of new media, including photo-based art and NFTs.

One gallery that will be highlighting NFTs is Assembly, Houston, which will show the work of Rodrigo Valenzuela as both photographic prints and digital NFTs. Recognized for his images of collected industrial and mechanical objects against hazy backgrounds, through the presentation of Valenzuela’s work the gallery will assist collectors new to acquiring NFTs.

Other highlights of the forthcoming show include New York gallery Clamp‘s curated exhibition of queer portraiture, dated from the early 20th century through today, and Yancey Richardson’s presentation of Larry Sultan’s , which will also be on view at the gallery and coinciding with the Broadway play starring Nathan Lane. Visitors to the fair will also be able to discover some of the world’s most recognizable images, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson’s iconic (1954) at Michael Hoppen Gallery, London.

Complementing the range of gallery presentations will be a special exhibition, “Highlights from the Archive: Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of MUUS Collection.” Centered on collecting a “quintessentially American photography archive from the 20th century,” the MUUS Collection exhibition will highlight the work of five photographers, André de Dienes, Fred W. McDarrah, Deborah Turbeville, Rosalind Fox Solomon, and Alfred Wertheimer. Tracing the similarities and distinctions between each photographer’s approach to portraiture, the show will bring together both iconic and lesser-known images, highlighting both the scope of the archive and showcasing these inimitable artists’ work.

As the longest-running exhibition dedicated to photography, the Photography Show presented by AIPAD is a yearly highlight for photography collectors and enthusiasts alike. With a full slate of new programming and exhibitors, the 2023 edition is not to be missed.