Bill Hunt

Works From The Collection Of Bill Hunt

© The Imogen Cunningham Trust

Imogen Cunningham, "The Dream" (1910)

Photo courtesy Collection Dancing Bear

Roman Signer, "Nicht Loslassen" (negative 1983, printed 2000)

Imogen Cunningham Photo Booths

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For some 35 years, though, he has been an avid collector of photography, amassing a remarkable thematic collection of more than 1,000 works. Though they range enormously in style, period, technique and value, the works share at least one common trait: the subject is never looking into the camera lens.

Hunt told ArtInfo, “Collecting changed my life. It’s a passion for me. And I can chronicle my life when I look through the collection. Becoming a dealer was never a conscious thing for me, so it’s funny how I have ended up here.”

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My First Acquisition:

The first acquisition I made was Imogen Cunningham's The Dream (1910). It is still a keystone of the collection. I bought it 35 years ago for $325 at the old Sotheby’s on Madison Avenue. It was an impulsive and compulsive purchase—the voices told me to go buy a photograph. I still find it an unknowable experience. It’s currently on tour in the show “EYE: Photographs from the Dancing Bear Collection,” at a great museum in Amsterdam, FOAM (Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam).

My Most Recent Acquisitions:

Well, there are always a couple. I bought an Erwin Olaf portrait, Roy (from his Paradise series), because I represent him at Hasted Hunt and I like to include my gallery artists in my collection when it is possible. It’s on tour as well.

At The Armory Show, I bought a Roman Signer triptych from a young dealer, Virgil de Voldere. It was great! You never see his works in the United States. It’s very mysterious and kind of dated, too—which is a weird thing to like about a piece, I know.

Favorite Items in My Collection:

One of my favorite works is Irving Penn’s Two Guedras. It was a fortune! I paid about $5,500 at Christie’s about 15 or 20 years ago, but it is absolutely the best photograph for me: beautiful image, beautiful print, great artist. Usually, it’s in the middle of the living room, but it too is on tour at the moment.

Advice for Beginning Collectors:

My advice would be to commit. Just buy the damn thing and shut up. It’s like sex, talking about it just doesn’t cut it. You’re either doing it or you’re not.