Gerard Petrus Fieret at Deborah Bell Photographs

I'm a little confused by the upper echelon, old school, private dealers who show "by appointment only." Why curate a show, let alone publicize it, if you have no intention of opening it up to the broader gallery-going public? I suppose there's a value in such exclusivity, but it doesn't serve me - which is the point perhaps. So, I guess I'm less 'confused' than 'put out'.

Nonetheless, if you're inclined, make an appointment to see Gerard Pertrus Fieret's work at Deborah Bell Photographs. Ms. Bell's got no proper Web site, but the collection is likely to be on par with what I found on the Gitterman site. Fieret, an 80-year-old Dutchman, is known for his montage-influenced printing processes and habit of handstamping the frontsides of his photographs with his studio contact info and then scrawling his signature - the horror! You might be able to discern an influence on Ellen von Unwerth, in the treatment of color and the mixing of sharp and fuzzy focus. A catalog is available, according to this iPhoto Central write-up (scroll down.)

Through Feb. 26th, '05 at Deborah Bell Photographs
511 West 25th Street, Room 703
(212) 691-3883