George Tice at Nailya Alexander

If I were ever asked to recommend a photographer worth collecting, my first choice would be George Tice.  Certainly, if I had $3,000 to spend, I myself would purchase Country Road, Lancaster, PA (1961), an 8x10 silver gelatin print.  I clearly remember thirty years ago when I  attended Making the Fine Print at Parsons - pretty much every NYC photographer serious about working in the darkroom showed up at that seminar sooner or later - Mr. Tice explained to us that he had had that particular negative for several years before realizing how best to print it.  It was only when he had completely burned in the sides of the print, he told us, that the photograph achieved its full level of drama.  It was later reprinted in the prestigious Time-Life Library of Photography in the early 1970's.

The current exhibit at the Nailya Alexander Gallery is a must see for anyone seriously interested in black & white darkroom technique.  The photographs themselves are a retrospective of the entire course of Mr. Tice's career from the mid 1950's to the present.  Although not all are vintage prints, every one is a superb example of photographic technique.  Included among them are several palladium and platinum/palladium prints, most notably the huge (89.8 x 66 cm) From the Chrysler Building, NY (1978) that I assume, due to its great size, was made from a digital negative.  As one of a limited edition of only fifteen, this print represents an excellent investment at $20,000.

The majority of the photographer's subjects are urban scenes, and he has a particular affinity for New Jersey, a locale not often explored by fine arts photographers.  These photographs include Telephone Booth, 3 a.m., Rahway, NJ (1974), Petit's Mobil Station, Cherry Hill, NJ (1974) and White Castle, Route #1, Rahway, NJ (1973).  While most other photographers' depictions of these same subjects might never rise above the mundane, Mr. Tice's artistry instead elevates them to the level of poetry.  (Quite possibly the only other New Jersey resident to have managed a comparable feat is Bruce Springsteen.)

George Tice was Edward Steichen's last exhibition printer.  When years ago I attended the Parson's seminar, I was fortunate enough to see a limited edition portfolio, authorized by Steichen's widow, of the great master's portraits on which Mr. Tice was then working.  The effect of such great photography when so perfectly printed was totally breathtaking and a worthy tribute to Steichen's genius.

The exhibit continues through November 5, 2013.