As the founder of the legendary printer and publisher Palm Press, Inc., it’s a given that Gus Kayafas’ influence can be felt everywhere you turn in the photo world. But sit and talk with him for an hour, and you’ll walk away feeling educated and enlightened by his stories, experiences, and front row seat to the growing photography market from the 1970s on.
Kayafas attended MIT, where he studied under Minor White and Harold Edgerton, working intensely with both. Eventually, Kayafas’ career would become intertwined with Edgerton’s, the two becoming friends, and Kayafas the photographer’s printer, publisher, and steady collaborator. Kayafas then received his MFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design, studying with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind, and went on to establish MassArt’s photography program. Kayafas printed for Callahan and Siskind through the rest of their long and productive careers.
Palm Press, what Kayafas calls a “photographic atelier,” is known for high-quality printing and was founded in 1976. He has worked with thousands of photographers and other entities, producing more than 60 portfolios, and continuing to serve as an educational force in the community. Kayafas’ technical background also led to diverse experimentation with print processes and technology.
The Kayafas Collection ranges all the way from nineteenth-century to contemporary masters, an affectionate and voracious approach that can be seen in our upcoming April 30th auction. The diverse work is united by Kayafas’ unerring eye for elegance and beauty, and comes with a deep knowledge of the photographer’s body of work and approach to image-making. We are pleased to include work by Walker Evans, Frank Gohlke, Garry Winogrand, Helen Levitt, Peter Sekaer, Nicholas Nixon, Lee Friedlander, Rosalind Fox Solomon, Herb Greene, August Sander, and Robert Cottingham, among much more.
Browse the collection here.
