E-Photo
Issue #191  4/1/2012
 
Auction Houses Invade AIPAD Show and Try to Kidnap Clients and Turn Them Into Zombies

By Di Transfer

As we've noted in previous years, the AIPAD New York Photography Show has encountered some serious problems--from record-setting blizzards and rainfalls to bomb scares. And even one year, reportedly, an infestation of locusts.

This year the show was hit with what may be one of its worst problems to date: an invasion of the body snatchers. The New York and London auction houses sent out personnel to kidnap collectors right off the floor of the show. Finding that scheduling promotions and receptions during the AIPAD show hours wasn't enough, several of the major houses enlisted the aid of voodoo priests to create zombie body snatchers to catch unwary collectors and curators.

The auction zombies tried to turn the collectors and curators into zombies too, so that they wouldn't have use of their brains when overbidding on most lots or figuring in the 25% buyer's premium and expensive shipping before bidding. Without their brains, auction houses also knew such collectors and curators wouldn't check out the actual condition and details of a print first too.

In defense, AIPAD's photography dealers dispensed free copies of the Zombie Fighters Manual, which showed that dealers often charged considerably less for the same material than actually paid at the auctions, especially after all the costs were factored in. The manual also pointed out that dealers often arranged terms for payments, while the most of the zombie auctions wanted their money immediately before clients woke up from their trance.

This URL is a You-Tube how-to video on fighting zombies that you should check out if you plan on going to AIPAD today (open 11 am-6 pm) and want to avoid being changed into a zombie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCd8V-1smFM .