Sergio Purtell: Love's Labour
Summer 2020
Head-Image
In 1973, at the age of 18, Purtell fled the imminent Pinochet dictatorship in Chile and arrived in the United States. There, he fell in love with photography, and his art history classes convinced him that he needed to see Europe.
Every summer, from 1979 to 1984, Purtell would buy an inexpensive roundtrip ticket from New York to London, and from there get a Eurail pass so he could move freely and cheaply around Europe.
Paris, Monaco, London, Madrid, Berlin, reminded Purtell strangely of his life in Santiago. Europe was a strange new world yet familiar with its mannerisms, customs, architecture, and relaxed attitude towards life, the mornings in cafes, and afternoons lounging by the cool of a fountain, and finishing the day at the local bar with a glass of wine.
A young man sets out to find his Love. As he traverses the European continent, he learns to forget the past, live in the present, and appreciate the journey. How does one fall in love? By being present, an act that is unavoidable when making pictures in the world.
- Sergio Purtell
In photography, love is not blind—although many things can, deceptively, go unnoticed: a small gesture, the radiance of a glance, the texture of skin, the shape of a neck, a flitting blush, downcast eyes, a modest grace.
- Sergio Purtell
Love can be a connection to something greater than ourselves, or the thing that shows us who we are. It requires relentless dedication. The fountains merge with the river and rivers with the ocean and the waves embrace each other.
- Sergio Purtell
Purtell visual sensitivity towards landscapes and their people was formed during childhood travels in his native Chile: on the busy streets of Santiago and the lonely expanses of the Pan American Highway.
Purtell visual sensitivity towards landscapes and their people was formed during childhood travels in his native Chile: on the busy streets of Santiago and the lonely expanses of the Pan American Highway.
Sergio Purtell moved from his native Santiago de Chile to the US in 1973. He received his BFA in photography from the RISD (1980) and his MFA from Yale (1982). His visual photographic language was formed by Harry Callahan and Tod Papageorge. Purtell went on to teach photography in New Haven until he moved to New York City in the mid-1980’s.
After teaching photography for several years he moved to New York City to work as a commercial photographer, shooting for design studios, prestigious magazines and publishers. At the same time, Purtell established a studio to pursue his love for printing, working first for the Walker Evans Estate. A master printer, he now concentrates his business on photographic printing, continuing to collaborate with artists, galleries and museums to help actualize their photogprahic projects.
Purtell's work has been exhibited and collected worldwide.
In 2015, Purtell solo exhibition, In Brooklyn: Architectures of Disappearance at ART 3 (now Silas von Morisse Gallery) won him critical success. Thomas Roma and Susan Kismaric participated in the Artist Talk, in Conversation with Purtell.
In 2017 Purtell was invited to exhibit in, Brooklyn Photographs, curated by Elizabeth Ferrer at BRIC in Brooklyn (exhibition catalogue).
His book, LOVE'S LABOUR was published 1 July 2020 by Stanley Barker in London.
SERGIO PURTELL
LOVE'S LABOUR
Stanley/Barker Publisher
Published — July 1
ISBN — 978-1-913288-07-5
Pages — 112
Cover — Hardback, Dust Jacket
Size — 245mm x 298mm
Price — £40
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 8). PRICE: $ 3,500 (not framed, print only)
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (edition of 5) PRICE: $ 6,500 (not framed, print only)
40 x 50 in. (101.8 x 127 cm) silver gelatin print, paper size (UNIQUE PRINT) PRICE: $ 20,000 (print+mount+frame)