Jill Krementz covers The Photography Show

Outside the Park Avenue Armory: Roxana Marcoci, MoMA's Senior Curator of Photography, with Chris Apgar, honorary chair of MoMA's arts council.

The Photography Show presented by AIPAD Park Avenue Armory, New York April 14-17, 2016 Friday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Portrait of Eyre de Lanux, 1925, by Man Ray; Gelatin silver print Celebrating its 36th year, The Photography Show presented by The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) opened on Wednesday night with a benefit preview for paying guests. The show, representing 86 of the world's leading fine art photography galleries includes a wide range of museum-quality work — contemporary, modern, and 19th-century photographs as well as photo-based art, video, and new media. On hand for the opening night preview — in addition to all the dealers, collectors and curators — were many of the photographers: Rin Johnson (the 26-year-old was making her third appearance at AIPAD), Bill Westheimer, Zhang Wei, who flew in from Beijing, and Zanele Muholi all the way from Johannesburg. An illustrated catalogue ($20; with a double spread devoted to each of the 86 dealers) accompanies the show. Sadly the show will be moving to the Pier next year. I've always loved it at the Park Avenue Armory but then I'm an embedded East Sider.

Roxana Marcoci on the steps of the Park Avenue Armory. Patricia Harris, former Deputy Mayor of NYC, and now working with Bloomberg.

Zanele Muholi from Johannesburg is a photographer and visual activist who tries to bring light to the importance of black lesbian women in South Africa. Shown in front of two of her self portraits on display at Yancey Richardson, Ms. Muholi is holding a book of her work published by Steidl, 2014. This past Monday Zanele was awarded an ICP Infinity Award in photojournalism.

Collector Vicky Lowry with dealer Yancey Richardson.

Matthew Whitworth (Yancey Richardson Gallery) in front of an archival pigment print — Adriatic Sea (staged) Dancing People — by Italian photographer, Olivo Barbieri (22K framed, and edition of 7).

Gallery owner Deborah Bell with associate Kat McElroy. The gallery specializes in 20th century and contemporary photography.

My friend and colleague, photographer Maddy Miller. We both worked for People Magazine — back in the day. Maddy was lending a hand to her pal Deborah Bell. Robert Pledge, who heads Contact Press Images, a New York agency representing 20 photographers including Annie Leibovitz and Sebastião Salgado.

August Sander's"Young Farmers" at Deborah Bell ($30K)

Two vintage gelatin prints by Louis Faurer on view at Deborah Bell.

Jordan Stein, a curator from San Francisco, with Harper Levine of Harper's Books (East Hampton). Mr. Levine specializes in photography books.

Writer Jill Spalding, a former editor of British Vogue. Lisa Westheimer wearing a wonderful skirt "from my father's old ties made by my grandmother in the 1970s." Ms. Westheimer is an artist who specializes in ceramics and glass.

Photographer Bill Westheimer with his work on display at Charles Schwartz Ltd., a private dealer. Elementary is a series of collodion wet-plate tintype photograms of 3D printed elementary geometric objects. Designed with CAD and printed using a 3D printer, the PLA resin objects are placed on the wet emulsion of the tintype and exposed to light. Elementary brings together 21st century 3D printing and 19th century collodion wet-plate printing.

Photographic installation Watcher Vill; 2012; by Alan Rath on view at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery (Aluminum, FR-4, polyethelene, custom electronics, LCDS). Since its founding in 2002, Wolkowitz has made a major commitment to representing new media artists who are exploring the intersection of art and technology.

AIPAD Dealer Bryce Wolkowitz with Lorenza Panero, an artist from Bogata, and Philippe Laumont, master printer specializing in digital prints.

Gallerist Steven Kasher. On the wall, a portrait of President Obama.

Jon D. Smith is a Trustee at ICP and on the Photography Committee at The Whitney.

ICP's Phil Block.

David Solo, a major collector, with Phil Block.

Michael Gross, whose new book, Focus; The Secret, Sexy, Sometimes Sordid World of Fashion Photographers will be published on July 5th. Andy Katz specializes in travel photography and has had 14 books published of his work. Mr. Katz is a Sony Artisan of Imagery, one of only seven photographers representing Sony's new cameras.

Peter Fetterman from Santa Monica, one of the best photography dealers in the business.

Steve Downey and his wife, KT Sullivan, the popular American singer and actress known for her performances in cabaret and musical theater. Ms. Sullivan (famous, too, for her hats) is also the artistic director of The Mabel Mercer Foundation.

Etheleen Staley and Taki Wise (Staley-Wise Gallery located at 560 Broadway) in front of a photo by David LaChapelle.

Detail of David LaChapelle's C-print; $90K.

Anthony Haden-Guest (reporter, cartoonist, art critic, poet, and socialite who lives in New York and London), Emerald Gruin (In-House Art Curator of Jue Lan Club), and Taki Wise.

Henry Feldstein with Hedda Hopper, circa 1950, by Weegee; Vintage silver print; $8,500. Feldstein, who lives in Forest Hills, is the number one dealer when it comes to Weegee prints. Hedda Hopper was recently portrayed by Helen Mirren in the movie Trumbo.

Among my favorite works: "Artificial Big Star Marilyn Monroe," "Artificial Big Star John Lennon," and "Artificial Big Star Audrey Hepburn." The artist, pictured here, Zhang Wei, created these photos in Photoshop and each portrait is a composite of 20-100 Asian features — eyes, eyebrows, noses, mouths. The pigment prints (in editions of five), range in price, depending on edition, from $6600 to $9900.

George Chen, gallery assistant at 798 Photo Gallery located in Beijing, with Annette Skuggedal, a gallerist, curator and collector from Norway. Mr. Chen was celebrating his 29th birthday. Rin Johnson, Mahlot Sansosa, and Michael Famighetti, Editor of Aperture Magazine.

Artist/photographer Mahlot Sansosa.

Rin Johnson, a 26-year-old photographer, was exhibiting for the third time at AIPAD. On display this year: V. Poems. In a statement about her work, Ms. Johnson has this to say: "V. Poems receive their titles from Haikus generated by an algorithm that sources its language from the New York Times. Ignoring the usual format of a Haiku, V. Poems play on authorship, the function of media, ownership and the photograph as a document of time. Straddling the analog and digital, V. Poems are playful non sequiturs postulating what of myth making, what of imagined ties and what of this act of looking, of judging, of seeing and remembering?"

Karen Jenkins-Johnson (San Francisco) devoted a wall to the work of Rin Johnson. She also has several photographs by Gordon Parks on display. End of the evening: Zanele Muholi with Bernard Harling, and Christian Fischer, President and CEO of Axa (corporate partner of AIPAD). Mr. Harling and Ms. Fischer, who are married, own four of the artist's works.

Going Home, 1992, by Earlie Hudnall, Jr.; Silver Gelatin Print on view at PDNB Gallery.

Text and photographs © by Jill Krementz: all rights reserved. Contact Jill Krementz here.