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Tim's Pics and Clips

From Edward Hopper paintings to John Cage's 4'33, discover an insight into Business Development Manager Tim's personal highlights from the Bridgeman archive.

Tim Davis

What is your role at Bridgeman?

I am a North American Account Manager for our Business Development Sectors, based out of Bridgeman's New York Office. I help introduce new and existing customers to all that Bridgeman has to offer for projects, ranging from exhibit catalogs to feature films - and all things in-between!

What do you love most about the job?

Even after almost 20 years in the image and footage licensing business I still get a tremendous thrill whenever I am sitting in a movie theatre and I see an image that I helped clear appear on screen or whenever I pick up a magazine or newspaper and I see one of our images on the page.

What misconceptions do clients most commonly have about the archive?  

I think quite a few clients think that we only have images of classical artwork, when in reality our library consists of so much more than that! In the last few years alone we have acquired or partnered with so many wonderful new collections and contributors, creating an amazing resource for almost any project that you or a colleague might be working on.

 

Tim's Pics and Clips

Edward Hopper - From Williamsburg Bridge 

From Williamsburg Bridge, Edward Hopper (1882-1967), 1928. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York,
USA. © SuperStock / Leemage, Edward Hopper (1882-1967) / Bridgeman Images

There was a time when I thought that Edward Hopper only painted lighthouses and coastal scenes, and then when I was a teenager I came across this painting and it completely blew me away. The way the light is captured - on the surface of these quintessentially New York buildings - I found so alluring that I eventually moved to New York from my native Massachusetts and settled in Brooklyn so I could enjoy this enchanting and unique light every time I looked out my window.

 

The Madonna of the Trees (Madonna degli Alberetti) - Giovanni Bellini

The Madonna of the Trees (Madonna degli Alberetti), 1487 (oil on panel) (post 1997 restoration),
Giovanni Bellini (c.1430-1516) / Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, Italy / Bridgeman Images

I will never forget the day that I first encountered this painting. I was a young man visiting Italy for the first time on a stopover in Venice. I was taking a solitary stroll one sunny morning when I happened upon the Gallerie dell'Accademia,  as it seemed like a nice cool place to escape from the hot sun for a few minutes. I stepped inside and immediately encountered this painting in all its glory. The colors were so incredibly bright, it almost appeared to be glowing. And that green -- I had never seen a green like that on a painting that old. It seemed so modern to me that I found it hard to believe that it had actually been painted more than 500 years before. I have seen some poor reproductions of this painting over the years that do not do this image justice, where the image is dark and the colors are muted. But the image of this painting that we have on Bridgeman I think is great, and conveys the beauty of this painting exactly as I remember it.  

 

John Cage performs 4'33'' in Harvard Square

John Cage performs 4'33'' in Harvard Square, Boston, c.1973 / Creative Arts Television / Bridgeman Images

I love John Cage. I have always been impressed by the inventive ways that he finds to compose the un-composable. A great example of this being his famous silent piece 4'33" where a musician will sit in front of their instrument and not play it. I was thrilled when I came across this clip one day as I was exploring the Bridgeman footage library of him performing this piece in front of a grand piano placed at the heart of Harvard Square in my hometown of Cambridge Massachusetts filmed just a few years before I was born. I think this clip is a great example of the type of unique content that you can come across when you are searching the Bridgeman site, and for me it hits home on a personal level because during the performance the "silence" really emphasizes the incredibly familiar buildings, fashions, and faces that make up my earliest memories.     


Titled (Art as Idea as Idea). Joseph Kosuth

Titled (Art as Idea as Idea), 1967 (photostat mounted on masonite), Joseph Kosuth (b.1945)
/ Private Collection / Photo © Christie's Images / Bridgeman Images

My first Job out of college 20 years ago was working in Joseph Kosuth's studio. Joseph taught me a lot about conceptual art. I'll never forget him explaining to me how his "real" art work was the paper where the idea for the piece was written down and that the actual physical rendering of the idea was arbitrary. I remember thinking to myself "That's cool...but personally I think that the real reason why your work has sold so well isn't just because of that piece of paper - it is also  because you are a great designer and those physical renderings of your concepts look totally awesome!" I only worked for Joseph for a short while as I soon took a job at a stock photo library, and I have been working in this industry ever since, but every time I come across one of his pieces  on the Bridgeman site it reminds me of that period in my life, and makes me grateful that I have an opportunity to engage with this work again.  

 

Tweed-le-dee and Tilden-dum, from 'Harper's Weekly', 1st July 1876 - Thomas Nasst 

Tweed-le-dee and Tilden-dum, from 'Harper's Weekly', 1st July 1876 (engraving) from 'Harper's Weekly', 1871 (litho), Thomas Nast (1840-1902) / Private Collection / Peter Newark American Pictures / Bridgeman Images

I have always loved the story of Thomas Nast, the crusading political cartoonist whose illustrations in Harper's Weekly were instrumental in taking down Boss Tweed - the powerful and corrupt politician who ruled New York City in the 1870s. However, all the historical importance of these cartoons aside, I personally feel that they are just beautiful pieces of art. This piece in particular is one of my favorites. The cross hatching is expertly done and the use of text gives it an almost modern aesthetic, especially when you see it alongside a 20th century piece like Joseph Kosuth's. I have seen some very blurry renderings of this cartoon over the years but the version that is on the Bridgeman site really does it justice.

 

 

Please contact us if you would like to make an enquiry about using our images or have any questions. We love to hear from you!

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