Bridgeman's President for North and South America talks about some of his favorite images in the archive.
What is your role at Bridgeman? I run Bridgeman's New York office, which covers North, Central and South America. My role is amazingly broad: I will cover everything from putting together budgets and targets for the fiscal year, meeting potential new collections, talking to prospective new clients, visiting tradeshows, and negotiating contracts with our largest accounts, to all the day-to-day activities that go into the running of any company.
What do you love most about the job? |
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What misconceptions do clients most commonly have about the archive?
The most common misconception has always been that we only specialize in the famous masterpieces, while in fact we also have the most incredible treasure trove of art from private collections all over the world which have never been made available for licensing before.
Clients are, likewise, often unaware how rich our photographic collection has become. Since we bought the 125 year old Giraudon archive about 15 years ago, we became a resource as much about photography, architecture and civilization as one of art; but perceptions are definitely changing which is hugely encouraging.
My personal misconception is often forgetting the size of an original artwork. It's always such a surprise when seeing the original in the flesh, whether it's either the size of a postage stamp or 30ft tall. If I don't step back from time to time, everything is assumed to be 8"x10" at 300dpi!
Ed’s favourite images in the archive are:

It's so hard to come up with a Top 5 list from a million stunning images, but my favorite works are as much about the stories behind them. So my first choice is Matisse's mural ‘The Dance’, which he created for the interior of the Barnes Foundation.
Ten years ago Bridgeman was in discussions with the Foundation to represent their collection. At that time it was still housed in Dr. Barnes' house and was only open a few days a week and to a limited audience. I was fortunate to be invited when it was closed to the public - myself and the head of merchandising walked and talked amongst the artwork at our leisure. When one is knee-deep in contracts, tax documents or trying to understand the latest health laws, reminiscing about ‘The Dance’ helps enormously!
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2. Medieval Maps |
3. Stanley Spencer at Sandham Memorial Chapel The entire cycle of paintings in the chapel demonstrates some of the best British art of the twentieth century and on the 100th anniversary of the First World War, chapels like Sandham Memorial will become more poignant than ever. |
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4. The Supper at Emmaus |
The New York Historical Society was the first US collection that I worked with when I moved to the US in early-2000. I remember seeing posters of this painting many years prior without appreciating where the original was located, and I think it’s such a significant part of Bridgeman’s role to connect the collection with the client. This is a great depiction of the stock market struggles of the later part of 19th century America, but could just as easily refer to the start of the 21st. |
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We represent an amazing animation archive from Halas and Batchelor. Started in the late 1930s, H&B are credited with creating the first ever British animated feature and this piece is one of my favourites. It follows a man who discovers a question mark and tries to work out what it means, resulting in an excellent satirical look at the meaning of life. |