Sotheby's Rare Polaroid Collection Auction Comes to a Close

After two days of auctioning over 1,200 photographs, the Polaroid Collection raised approximately $12.5 million, which was above the $7.2 to $11.1 million they had expected for this auction. The top 3 highest grossing prints from this auction were photographs by Ansel Adams: (1) Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park - $722,500, (2) Moonrise Hernandez, New Mexico - $518,500, and (3) Aspens, Northern New Mexico - $494,500 (see photos below). If you didn't have a few hundred thousand dollars to spend, some of the prints sold for a few thousand or less. The least expensive print sold was a polaroid by Pirkle Jones for $750 (see photo below).

Photo above is by Robert Rauschenberg, more details can be found below.

ANSEL ADAMS (HIGHEST PRINT SOLD IN THIS AUCTION)

1902-1984

CLEARING WINTER STORM, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

300,000—500,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 722,500 USD

38¾ by 52 in. (98.4 by 132.1 cm.)

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 1938, probably printed in the 1950s or 1960s

ANSEL ADAMS (SECOND HIGHEST PRINT SOLD IN THIS AUCTION)

1902-1984

MOONRISE, HERNANDEZ, NEW MEXICO

300,000—500,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 518,500 USD

39¼ by 56 in. (99.7 by 142.2 cm.)

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 1941, probably printed in the 1950s or 1960s

ANSEL ADAMS (THIRD HIGHEST PRINT SOLD IN THIS AUCTION)

1902-1984

ASPENS, NORTHERN NEW MEXICO

150,000—250,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 494,500 USD

30½ by 38 7/8 in. (77.5 by 98.7 cm.)

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 1958, probably printed in the 1960s

PIRKLE JONES

1914-2009

ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES

500—1,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 750 USD

each 4½ by 3½ in. (11.4 by 8.9 cm.)

2 unique Polaroid Type 52 prints, including William Westerfeld House, San Francisco and High-Rise Building, each with credit or the photographer's initials, date, and notations in pencil or ink, and number stamps, on the reverse, 1958

side note: Pirkle Jones was Ansel Adams assistant for six years! You'll also see that he also had some of Ansel's work, which was auctioned by Sotheby's in October 2006 (see below)

No matter how much money you had to spend, dealers of this art had to be careful of which prints they bought. In this auction, there were several similar photos produced by Ansel Adams that differed ever so slightly (warmer tones, tiny holes, quality of preservation, size). So, if you were not careful, you may have bought a less desirable print. A few of the same scenic prints included, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico (see below), The Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (see below), and Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine, California, to name a few.

ANSEL ADAMS

1902-1984

'MOONRISE, HERNANDEZ, NEW MEXICO'

30,000—50,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 104,500 USD

15½ by 19½ in. (39.4 by 49.5 cm.)

mounted, signed in pencil on the mount, a Carmel studio stamp (BMFA 11), title and annotation in ink, on the reverse, 1941, probably printed between 1973 and 1977 (400 Photographs, p. 175; Classic Images, pl. 32; Ansel Adams at 100, pl. 96; Morgan & Morgan, pl. 63; Examples, p. 40)

Though not entirely comparable, the same photograph and similar size to the $104,500 print was sold in October 2006

for a much higher price of $609,600

.

October 2006 auction

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF PIRKLE JONES

ANSEL ADAMS 1902-1984

'MOONRISE, HERNANDEZ, NEW MEXICO'

150,000—250,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 609,600 USD

14 3/8 by 19 1/8 in. (36.5 by 48.6 cm.)

mounted to Strathmore board, signed by the photographer in pencil on the mount, matted, 1941, printed in 1948

ANSEL ADAMS

1902-1984

THE TETONS AND SNAKE RIVER, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING

250,000—350,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 350,500 USD

39 by 50 7/8 in. (99.1 by 129.2 cm.)

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 1942, probably printed in the 1950s or 1960

ANSEL ADAMS

1902-1984

THE TETONS AND SNAKE RIVER, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING

200,000—300,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 326,500 USD

39½ by 51½ in. (100.3 by 130.8 cm.)

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 'Property of Polaroid Corporate Archives' stamp on the reverse, 1942, probably printed in the 1950s or 1960s

For a list of other prints sold by Sotheby's, see the Sold Lot Archive for the Polaroid Collection.

side comment: Now the question is, when will the public ever see these prints again? I have no idea, but seeing them firsthand at Sotheby's was truly a rare experience... I hope some of these prints will resurface in museums or galleries. Until next time...

--------------------------------------------------------------

ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG

1925-2008

NORTH CAROLINA (FROM THE BLEACHER SERIES)

20,000—30,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 116,500 USD

21½ by 26 in. (53.9 by 66 cm.)

unique bleached Polaroid Polapan print, mounted to aluminum, signed and dated in silver ink on the mount, in a frame designed to the artist's specifications, a Selections 6 exhibition label on the reverse, 1991

Sotheby's Rare Polaroid Collection Auction: Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Andy Warhol and more ...

Sotheby's is auctioning over 1,200 works from the Polaroid Collection of Photography, a collection that started by Edwin Land (man in photo to the left, taken by Ansel Adams), the inventor and founder of Polaroid. The collection includes famous polaroids and prints by photographer legends, including the likes of Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Imogen Cunningham, Edward Weston, Margaret Bourke-White, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Eliot Parker, Andy Warhol and more. Some of the works on sale will also include leading photographers that are still alive and making prints today, including William Wegman, David Levinthal, Lucas Samaras, Peter Beard and Chuck Close. A large number of the photographs (over 400) are creations by Ansel Adams, of whom had a close personal relationship with Land.

The photographs in this exhibition were exquisite and seeing them close-up was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Its just unfortunate that these photos were once hanging on the walls of the Polaroid Corporation's headquarters and will soon be hanging in galleries or homes around the world -- and could potentially be unseen for a long time.

Polaroid was able to amass many of these prints through the Artist Support Program, in which cameras and film were exchanged for the photographs taken, - which if you think about it, this was such smart business "sense" to allow the end-users to play with the cameras and provide feedback to Polaroid that would eventually lead to the development of instant cameras and films, aka Polaroid Technology. It is also said that Edwin Land asked Ansel Adams to assemble a collection of non-Polaroid photographs in 1956. Adams bought works from tops names such as Edward Weston, Harry Callahan, Margaret Bouke-White and my favorite, Dorothea Lange.

Its just too bad that with the recent invention of digital technology, it eventually crippled Polaroid's existence and led to its demise as it filed for bankruptcy protection. And, thus by the Order of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota these photographs are now being viewed and auctioned for the first time. The collection was open for public viewing from June 16 to June 21, and is currently on auction until the end of today. The collection is estimated to raise $7.2 million to $11.1 million, of which, by the look of the prints already sold during yesterday's first session -- could easily be surpassed.

Below are a few of the images that were sold and the information associated with the prints. For more information, check out Sotheby's Polaroid Collection website or to see what some of these works were sold for you can check the Sold Lot Archive, where the photos and information found below are derived from.

ANSEL ADAMS 1902-1984 MOONRISE, HERNANDEZ, NEW MEXICO 300,000—500,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 518,500 USD

39¼ by 56 in. (99.7 by 142.2 cm.

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 1941, probably printed in the 1950s or 1960s

**I found an interesting excerpt to the "behind the scenes" creation of this photo, which you can read about at Ansel Adams Website here.**

'

DOROTHEA LANGE

1895-1965

'PEAPICKERS FAMILY' (MIGRANT MOTHER, NIPOMO)

60,000—80,000 USD Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 218,500 USD

12 7/8 by 10 in. (32.7 by 25.4 cm.)

mounted, signed and dated in pencil on the mount, the photographer's 'Dorothea Lange, 1163 Euclid Avenue, Berkeley, 8, California' studio label and a 'Photography Collection of the Polaroid Corporation' label, with typed credit, title, and process and accession information in ink, on the reverse, 1936, printed no later than 1958

** this photograph along with White Angel Breadline are by far among my favorite photographs ever taken. A set of her photos are available for viewing at MoMa: Pictures by Women: A History of Modern Photography until March 21, 2011.**

ANDY WARHOL

1928-1987

SELF-PORTRAIT (EYES CLOSED) 10,000—15,000 USD Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 254,500 US

24 by 20½ in. (61 by 52.1 cm.)

unique large-format Polaroid Polacolor print, 1979

** I was shocked by the value placed on this polaroid; i think it should be every photographers dream to be like Andy Warhol... not for his photographs per se, but for his vision of building himself as a brand and being able to charge so much for his work... one day... ! one day, I will become a brand like Andy and when I am gone, my photographs will be worth just as much! but hopefully it'll also be when i'm alive!**

MINOR WHITE

1908-1976

'BARNS' (TWO BARNS, DANSVILLE, NEW YORK)

10,000—15,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 53,125 USD

7 3/8 by 9 1/2 in. (18.7 by 24.1 cm.)

mounted, signed and dated in pencil on the mount, a 'Photography Collection of the Polaroid Corporation' label, with typed title, credit, and process and accession information in ink, on the reverse, 1954, printed no later than 1957 (The Eye That Shapes, p. 144; Image, Vol. 19, No. 3, September 1976, p. 32)

IMOGEN CUNNINGHAM

1883-1976

'UNMADE BED'

15,000—25,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 146,500 USD

7½ by 9 5/8 in. (19.1 by 24.2 cm.)

mounted, signed and dated in pencil on the mount, the photographer's '1331 Green Street, San Francisco' studio label, with typed title and date, and a 'Photography Collection of the Polaroid Corporation' label, with typed title and date and accession information in ink, on the reverse, 1957, printed no later than 1960

** don't know much about her, but very interesting; some of her works are currently at MoMa -- Pictures by Women: A History of Modern Photography **

ROBERT FRANK B. 1924

NEW YORK

10,000—15,000 USD Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 46,875 USD

19 7/8 by 15 in. (50.5 by 38.1 cm.)

From a Polaroid Type 665 negative, signed and dated in ink in the margin, signed 'Frank' in ink on the reverse, 1972

** Known for The Americans **

Polaroids and photographs from PHOTOGRAPHERS that are still living and how much do you think they fetched? Not nearly as much as the photographers mentioned above, but one day...

LUCAS SAMARAS

B. 1936

PHOTO-TRANSFORMATION

6,000—9,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 31,250 USD

3 by 3 in. (7.6 by 7.6 cm.)

unique manipulated Polaroid SX-70 print, dated in ink on the reverse, framed, a Polaroid Collection stamp andInnovation/Imagination andUnrepentant Ego exhibition labels on the reverse, 1973

** very interesting concept **

And these following images from David Levinthal, which to some may be "too much", but be open minded as this is an interesting way to approach art and photography -- through plastic figurines. Some of David's work has been quite interesting, especially his Wild West photographs or my favorite, the American Beauties. For more of his work, see David Levinthal's website

DAVID LEVINTHAL

B. 1949

SELECTED IMAGES FROM DESIRE

15,000—25,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 16,250 USD

each approximately 24¼ by 20¾ in. (61.6 by 52.7 cm.)

WILLIAM WEGMAN

B. 1943

'GAME PRESERVE'

4,000—6,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 15,000 USD

24¼ by 20¾ in. (61.6 by 52.7 cm.)

unique large-format Polaroid Polacolor print, signed, titled, and dated in ink in the margin, mounted, framed, 1990

** has an assortment of photos of dogs doing interesting things - dressed in human clothes answering phones, being the all-American family, wearing roller skates, being doused in flour, etc. **

DAVID HOCKNEY

B. 1937

'IMOGEN + HERMIANE. PEMBROKE STUDIOS, LONDON, 30TH JULY 1982'

3

0,000—50,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 194,500 USD

30 by 22½ in. (76.2 by 57.2 cm.)

a composition of 63 unique Polaroid SX-70 prints, initialed, titled, and dated in ink across the lower margins, mounted, framed, exhibition labels and Polaroid Collection stamps on the reverse, 1982

** this was one of my favorite collection of polaroids at the auction; wonderful use of the polaroids! you must check out his website, there is an incredible set of polaroid collages**

Wow, Steal Food and Expect the Walk of Shame!

You may have missed this article in the NYTimes, but its really worth a read.

The gist of it is -- Taking some practices from China, some Chinese supermarkets in Flushing and Manhattan are penalizing thieves by posting photographs of them (with their stolen goods) on entry doors or behind cashiers with the words - THIEF - in big red letters. If thats not enough public humiliation, some stores parade the thieves around the store yelling that they are thieves. In addition to this, some stores have asked the thieves to pay for the groceries and a fine that can be up to $500 for the incident and more for repeat offenders... and guess what? The people are paying!!

Is all of this legal? One says its violating a person's civil rights and may also be considered extortion when demanding fines.

Soup Nazi from Seinfeld is re-opening his doors July 20th

If you've watched Seinfeld before, you'll know who the Soup Nazi character is. And, if you've forgotten some of the scary, yet hilarious scenes from the Soup Nazi episodes, here is a clip with some of the funniest and scariest moments while the Soup Nazi utters the famous words -- "NO SOUP FOR YOU".

Hopefully, you won't be one of the individuals hearing,"No Soup For You", as the Soup Kitchen International re-opens its doors on July 20th. Yes, Al Yeganeh (aka Soup Nazi who the character is based off of) is returning from a six-year hiatus and will be serving his specialty soups at 259A West 55th Street. If you wondered what happened to him during the six years, Yeganeh started a franchise selling soups under the brand Original SoupMan, which is now sold across the United States and in select parts of Canada. But lucky for you and me, we can (re-)experience a Seinfeld moment very soon!

Big Apple BBQ here THIS weekend for its 8th Annual BBQ Feast!

Click the link to my WEB ALBUM from last year's event

The Big Apple BBQ is happening again this year, THIS weekend - June 12-June 13 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. If you missed out last year, this will be your opportunity to go this year; however, as always, the crowds will be crazy and perhaps crazier than last year!

Place: Madison Square Park (23-25th street between 5th Ave and Madison)

Cost: $8 per plate, $4 desserts, $2-$6 drinks

Events: BBQ Feast; Free live-music, seminars and cooking demonstrations

Art: Don't forget to look up and see Antony Gormley's "naked men" (see blog post)

Looking at the list of pit masters this year, only two are not returning and four new pit masters are joining them (see the list below). My favorites from last year included ribs from Joe Duncan's Baker's Ribs (St. Louis-Style Ribs) and sausages from Drew Robinson's Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q. There will be a few New York BBQ establishments there as well, including Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Blue Smoke, Wildwood and Hill Country.

Every year, I'm surprised to see the New York BBQ restaurants there, but I suppose this is still great advertising for them; however, you won't see this New Yorker there -- why? -- well, why go there, when I have access to them year-round while living here?! You have to try the other booths ... :D and, if you do want to try everything, its all about strategy at these events... to get a good variety of bbq tastings, you have to get a group of friends and have them get something at every booth... then after everyone gets something from the booths, reconvene and feast!

So, get your bar-be-que on this weekend!

p.s. It gets super super crowded during lunch time -- 12 - 2 pm... so be cautious...

p.p.s. bring cash!

The List of Pit masters:

the non-returning pit masters:

- Ed Wilson - Wilson's Barbecue from CT with Texas Style Brisket & Coleslaw

- Michael Rodriguez - The Salt Lick BBQ from TX with Beef Brisket, Sausage & Coleslaw

and the newbies, taking their place:

- Tommy Houston - Checkered Pig from VA with St. Louis Style Ribs

- Myron Mixon - Jack's Old South from GA with Beef Brisket & Baked Beans

- Ken Bosley - Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn from KY with BBQ Mutton & Burgoo (mutton?!?!)

- Big Lou Elrose - Wildwood BBQ with Pork Strip Steak Sandwich w/ Bourbon BBQ Sauce

A Day Watching the Fountain Rise and Fall at Lincoln Center

What's New in Madison Square Park? Oh, nothing -- but it looks like someone is going to jump off of a building!

In Antony Gormley's latest work, Event-Horizon, he has placed thirty-one life size body forms (an image of himself) in New York City's streets, sidewalks, and roof-tops surrounding the Flat Iron District and other select buildings. As you stroll through Madison Square Park, you will notice one such iron cast body standing there and then as you look up, you'll see many others on the roof-tops of some of New York's buildings -- The Credit Suisse Building to the East, the New York Life Insurance Building to the Northeast, and the Flatiron Building to the South). If you're having trouble spotting them, perhaps, this six year old's drawing will help or you can reference this map from the New York Times. :D

On Madison Square Park's website, the artist stated that "I'm thrilled to be working with New York: people and place," ... "I don't know what is going to happen, what it will look and feel like, but I want to play with the city and people's perceptions. My intention is to get the sculptures as close to the edge of the buildings as possible. The field of the installation should have no defining boundary. The gaze is the principle dynamic of the work; the idea of looking and finding, or looking and seeking, and in the process perhaps re-assessing your own position in the world. So in encountering these peripheral things, perhaps one becomes aware of one's status of embedment."

Some people have thought it looks like someone jumping off of a building; others have thought it feels like someone is staring down at you... and while others, well -- not so positive, have just thought its a stupid exhibit (especially as you see people standing to one of the sculptures, touching its nipples). Well, whatever your viewpoint, the exhibit is there until August 15, 2010.

Note:
- The sculptures can also be found on the Empire State Building and in on a building in Union Square.
- These sculptures were previously exhibited in London at the Hayward Gallery as part of the Blind Light exhibition in 2007 and were placed on bridges, rooftops and streets along the South Bank of the Thames River.

Tourists vs. New Yorkers Foot Traffick Lane on 22nd and 5th Avenue

If you're a New York resident, you'll appreciate this video. If not, you'll also just get a kick out of the idea. The same type of graffiti street art (probably by the same people) was done a few week ago on a more highly foot trafficked area on 5th Avenue around the 50's, which caught the attention of some news stations as well. Enjoy!

Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present WAS at the MoMa

One Friday afternoon in May, a friend and I decided to visit the MoMa to see some of Henri Cartier Bresson's works. After our visit to Bresson's work, to our surprise, we discovered this other exhibit: Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present. And, yes, the artist was present! Abramovic, the lady sitting in white on the left side, is the performing artist who is the first to have a live/performing art exhibit at MoMa.

There are many facets to this exhibit, that well, if you didn't attend, you would have wished you did. The exhibit ran from March 14 to May 31, 2010, and during that time, Marina was sitting in a chair, in an atrium from the opening of the museum to the closing of the museum, as spectators were invited to "sit" across from her. Although no motion or talking was permitted, people who sat with her mentioned that though no words were exchanged per se, there was some form of communication happening between Marina and the participants. A few guards at the exhibit mentioned that every person has a different reaction -- some teared, some laughed, while others attempted to have a staring contest with their stone-cold face (which of course didn't last that long!). Some said that if there were able to pass the five minute mark (there is no time counter around), then you could sit for much longer than that. One man, who previously sat with her for over a hour and a half, and who sat with Marina until the museum closed stated that there was a field of energy spoken between them, something indescribable, yet emotional. He didn't even notice he was sitting there for one and half hours. After asking him why he returned, he noted that he wanted to see it again and perhaps sit with her one more time. Truly incredible, I thought. Its just too bad, it was nearing 7 pm, the line was still ten people deep with a few people waiting since 10:30 that morning, and the museum was closing at 8 pm. "Better Luck, Tomorrow", I said. Wow, I can't believe people lined up well before the 10:30 am opening to have a "possibility' to sit with Marina. But if that's what it takes to be a part of Marina's work, then that's what it takes -- lets just hope for anyone who waited that they weren't behind the person who sat for 7 hours! In total, Marina sat for 736 hours and 30 minutes -- and during each day's performance, she didn't have water, food or a bathroom break.

Other parts of the museum exhibited Marina and her then partner Ulay (Uwe Laysiepen) past works, including re-performances of their prior works (which I've learned is a fau-paux in the performing art world). The live performances included: two people (usually male and female) standing naked in a doorway where people are expected to pass through (Imponderabilia performed in 1977), two people fully clothed standing across from each other pointing their finger at one another, one person standing naked on top of what looks like a bicycle and every now and then moves her arms in a pre-determined way, one person laying naked with a skeleton on top of their body and... there were others. The most intriguing of these performances was "squeezing" through a narrow doorway formed by two naked people. As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do -- so I was there, and I did it. I, like many other people were afraid to accidentally graze by the man's personal "belongings". But, there was no way to avoid it and the only thing you could do or say was "sorry" afterwards, but of course, the performers were not allowed to wince or say anything. So they didn't. Yikes.

Marina also had a series of videos from her past performances with Ulay, which included them slapping one another (yes, sound was included) and another video of Marina and Ulay walking towards one another from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China (Yellow Sea and Gobi desert, respectively) -- each walking 2500km to meet in the middle, only to say "Good-bye" to one another after working together for 12 years. According to wikipedia, Marina later described the three month walk, "We needed a certain form of ending, after this huge distance walking towards each other. It is very human. It is in a way more dramatic, more like a film ending … Because in the end you are really alone, whatever you do.”

Other exhibits included pieces from past performances, including twenty knives from Rhythm 10, 1973, where the artist played the Russian game in which rhythmic knife jabs are aimed between the splayed finger of her hand, similar to what happened in the "Alien" movie (yes, you know what I'm talking about -- spread your five fingers and quickly rotate through the fingers with the knife; however, if the knife happened to land in her hand, she would have to start again with a new knife. After 20 knife jabs, she replayed a recording of her performance and set off to do the same performance again, but only trying to repeat the same sounds and movement as her original). Why you might ask would she do this? I'm not sure, but Rhythm 10 was one of her first performances of exploration of ritual and gesture, and you will see this sense of -- defying what seems to be impossible in her later works as well -- whether it to test her body, her mental capacity, her audience or anything that could be tested -- she did.

Test - extreme body pain - CHECK, -- Rhythm 5, 1974
Test - state of unconsciousness - CHECK - Rhythm 2, 1974
Test - relationship of performer and audience - CHECK - Rhythm 0, 1974
Test - test oxygen - CHECK -- Death Self (exchanged breaths with Ulay 17 minutes until both fell unconscious)

To continue on with the MoMa exhibit, in a separate space were 6,000 pounds of cow bones, which Marina decided to "clean" in a previous performance and was on display at MoMa (there definitely was a smell in this room -- eeks; to learn more about how they got it from Amsterdam to here, click here). Lastly, there was also a video of her Seven Easy Pieces performed at the Guggenheim Museum in November 2005, where she re-performed certain works of past artists (to pay her respect) and also included two of her own works.

In totality, the Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present, was something I have not witnessed before and was pleasantly surprised. I do admit, I did "wince" at certain parts, but found the art work unique and expressive in its own form -- but everyone who sees this or saw this had to have an open mind to appreciate Marina's art work. And if you were one of the lucky few who waited in line and sat with Marina, you

If you missed this rare opportunity to see one of Marina Abramovic's performances, you'll have to find a clip of it online, wait for it to be produced on video, or wait for her next exhibition which is currently unknown at this time.

Note:

For a slideshow of the people who sat with her, view this. All photos are from Marco Anelli, who according to his website worked with her in 2007 as well. You may see some celebrities like Sharon Stone!

If you want to know how it was to "sit" with her, you can read this article from The New York Times from the Opinionator: Arthur C. Danto

Pictures of her on closing day... and the artist's words to how she felt, thought, and even trained for this historic three-month long piece... She even goes on to explain why some people may have had emotional break-throughs while sitting with her -- for an interesting read, click here.

If you want to know about the person who sat with her 21 times, read here -- he even tattooed the number on his arm!

For Facebook fans, you can join the club "Sitting with Marina" and for other stories you might have missed on the three month exhibit, click here.

Separately, do not miss Henri Cartier Bresson's work which will be there until June 28th. For free entrance to the MoMa, go on Target Fridays, which is EVERY Friday from 4:00 p.m to 8:00 pm.