By Lindsay Pollock | July 31 | Bloomberg

Lisa Dennison, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, is leaving her post for a top job with Sotheby's as the auction house seeks to strengthen its position in the contemporary-art market.

Dennison, 54, will become executive vice president of the auctioneer's North and South America division in September, said Diana Phillips, Sotheby's worldwide director of corporate affairs, in an interview. Dennison will focus on modern and contemporary art and on "business development'' and building client relationships, Phillips said.

"We are in an explosive art market, and I wanted to be able to hitch my wagon to their star,'' Dennison said in a telephone interview today. "I've always thought about a final career and what I might do outside the nonprofit world.''

Dennison declined to discuss how much Sotheby's will pay her and said the company offered her "considerably more than one makes at a not-for-profit institution.''

In the past, it was taboo for a museum director to take a job in the auction world. Dennison's move reflects the fierce rivalry between publicly owned Sotheby's and Christie's International in the highly competitive market for contemporary art, where the two are riding a 10-year boom in prices. Christie's is owned by the French billionaire Francois Pinault.

"The distinction between the museum world and commerce as two separate estates is not there anymore,'' said Tom Freudenheim, a former assistant secretary for museums at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington who is now retired. ``It shows you how it's all one world and how the museums are cozy with auction houses.''

Poaching in the Past

Sotheby's, the world's No. 2 auction house behind Christie's, has turned to the museum world for talent at least twice before in efforts to close the gap with its rival.

In 1995, Sotheby's hired former Museum of Modern Art director Richard Oldenburg as chairman of Sotheby's America. Charles Moffett was recruited in 1998 to the Impressionist and modern department following six years as director of the Phillips Collection in Washington.

"Lisa has enjoyed broad access to some of the best collectors operating today,'' William Ruprecht, Sotheby's chief executive officer, said in a phone interview today. "We are making our organization more and more focused on top clients.''

Christie's has beaten Sotheby's for the past five evening, contemporary-art sales periods in New York. The biggest spread occurred in May 2007 when a Christie's sale totaled $384.7 million while Sotheby's brought in $254.9 million.

'Great Asset'

Phillips said Tobias Meyer, Sotheby's worldwide director of contemporary art, had the idea of approaching Dennison about taking the job.

"Tobias had known her for a long time and thought she would be a great asset for Sotheby's,'' Phillips said. Dennison said Meyer approached her in May before the summer art fairs.

"I had been thinking about the business side of art,'' she said. "Being part of a global network of museums with a strong brand and being part of giving birth to that process has also prepared me for my work at Sotheby's.''

Linked Since 1973

Dennison, who holds a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College and a master's in art history from Brown University, started her career at the Guggenheim as a curatorial intern in 1973 while in college. She joined the Guggenheim full-time in 1978 as an exhibition coordinator. In that job, she worked closely with then-deputy director Diane Waldman.

Dennison was named chief curator and deputy director in 1996. In October 2006, she became the Guggenheim New York's director and was credited with improving the quality and consistency of the museum's curatorial lineup. She was appointed by Thomas Krens, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, which operates museums in New York, Venice, Bilbao, Berlin and Las Vegas.

"What I will miss most about the Guggenheim is the building,'' Dennison said. "After that, I'll miss the collection because my greatest pleasure at the museum was helping to build it, and after that, I'll miss the people.''

To contact the writers of this story:
Lindsay Pollock in New York at lindsaypollock@yahoo.com
Patrick Cole in New York at pcole3@bloomberg.net

The New York Times

By Daryl Lang | PDN online

Photojournalist Pete Souza, who served as the official photographer for President Ronald Reagan and covered Barack Obama’s arrival in the Senate for the Chicago Tribune, has been named Obama’s chief White House photographer.

Souza says he was offered the job the evening of January 4, after discussions with Obama's transition staff.

"Discussions centered on the primary function of the White House photo office to visually document the presidency for history," Souza says. "I think they understand the role quite well in that regard."

Souza’s appointment was first reported by the National Press Photographers Association and was confirmed Monday by the Obama transition team.

"The president-elect got to know Pete early on in his first Senate year," says transition spokesperson Tommy Vietor. "He's obviously someone who is an exemplary photographer, one of the best in the business."

The White House maintains a photo staff that acts as an official picture service and preserves presidential images for history. In some cases, official White House photos are the only images available of presidential events that are closed to the press. One recent example is the private Oval Office meeting of President George W. Bush and Obama, which was photographed by current White House photographer Eric Draper.

In an interview published in PDN’s December issue, Draper advised his successor to prepare for “ride of their life.”

“It's a very intense job. I think the advice is to pursue it with gusto and to approach it seriously, because I feel it's a very important job,” Draper said.

Souza says he was planning to drive to Washington Monday and could start work next week. He plans to hire a staff to work with him.

"I kind of liked Facebook until today," Souza says, laughing. "I've been inundated by lots of nice messages offering a lot of congratulations, but also a lot of people asking for jobs."

Souza is currently an assistant professor of photojournalism at Ohio University's School of Visual Communication. Previously he worked for ten years as a photographer for the Tribune, based in Washington, D.C. He was the White House photographer for Reagan from June 1983 until Reagan left office in 1989.

During the presidential campaign, Souza rushed out a photo book titled The Rise of Barack Obama, which became a New York Times best-seller. Souza is also the author of two photo books about Reagan.

Souza’s appointment was lauded by WHNPA President Dennis Brack. “They could not have selected a better person for the job,” Brack said in a WHNPA blog post.

During the campaign, Obama’s communications staff used still photographer David Katz to document behind-the-scenes moments, including a widely published series of the Obama family watching the returns on election night.