pete mcgovern

This was a really tough game. Judit Age 6 bot demolished me yesterday, but finally an approving comment in the final moments of a re-match. I'm not above posting the moment before my last move (playing black), which I probably savoured far, far too much. I'm becoming curious about the Netflix documentary on the real prodigy from Budapest. Later : OK, I now know Judit is no longer 6, and she, Judit Polgar, went on to be one of the greatest chess players. The Netflix series a few years ago, 'The Queen's Gambit' was essential viewing and Polgar's story has been a hit, also, upon its release a few days ago. I'm definitely not playing any older Judit bots that might be on Chess. com, such as Judit Age 7 , no thanks. Let's leave it at 1-1. Please .

For me, it's to do with curiosity around the endeavour, its scale, commitment and the documentation of the making, more than the outcome. Facing West,  curated by the photographer’s granddaughter, Caroline Avedon,  prompts reflection on the evolving interpretation of the photographs’ imagery, and on the series’ status as its maker’s magnum opus. Richard Avedon Facing West January 15–March 14, 2026 Gagosian , Grosvenor Hill, London

Another post about Avedon's 'American West' pictures. This time having stumbled upon diptychs of the polaroids that were a way to organise the database of sitters' information alongside the final print selected by Avedon for the Amon Carter Museum show, and book. Here's the one of the man who would be labelled a bad dad by a guest on the BBC 2 arts and literature review show around the time of the book's release. As Clément Chéroux, director at the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, says: “Comparing these polaroids with Avedon’s portraits shows his ability to transcend the appearance of his models.”

 The link here

Avedon said he would have been happy to keep the 'American West' portrait series going for the rest of his life. AI is now ready to try and fill that gap.  Text terms: black and white photograph "richard avedon" "american west" book portrait drifter white background

An incredible 17,000 sheets of film, 752 sittings. Funded by the Amon Carter Museum to the tune of $100,000 between 1979-84. ( $300,000 in 2025 money ). The scale of the endeavour was remarkable. I blame youtube for getting caught up on the Avedon 'American West' project. Once you watch one random video thrown up by the algorithm it feeds two more, then another couple. Et cetera, etc. The unexpectedly wonderful surprise was 'Avedon at Work' , a book of images and insights by Laura Wilson who had been his assistant in the project two decades prior. While the Avedon book timed out on my imagination many years ago to see the process and engagement brings it to life in a whole new dramatic and thrilling way. I've managed to resist buying any photography books for quite some time but I'm so tempted by this one. When Avedon was commissioned by the Amon Carter Museum to create the images that would become In the American West, he needed an assistant to scout photograph...

The Winter issue of Source is about new photography organisations. Despite the economic downturn and the dominance of digital technology the last five years has seen the appearance of new galleries, publications and festivals dedicated to the medium. Jennifer Good has spoken to the people behind five new photo galleries: Third Floor Gallery, White Cloth Gallery, Fishbar, Hotshoe Gallery (which has since closed) and Brancolini Grimaldi.  - 2012 My browser always opens on an old page on the Source website, the one which has the text above about new photography gallery spaces. I decided to look how they were doing, and hats off to the people who took the mad decision to open them but disappointingly, (inevitably?), all of them had closed in a year or two, apart from Fishbar, which last put on a show seven months ago, albeit in a borrowed space. Of the five the only one I visited was the Brancolini Grimaldi, twice, I think, including to the Joachim Brohm show in the link.  Third ...