The Turnley Twins' Print Sales

Both our old friend Peter Turnley and his twin brother David Turnley, photojournalists par excellence (you can search for the "60 Minutes" segment on the two of them, among of my favorite videos about photographers), are having holiday print sales.

Peter's sale includes prints that are very familiar to TOP readers, some of which you might already own—Peter's biggest sale holds the record for earning the most money of any of our past sales (Ctein holds the record for most prints sold).

Photograph by Peter Turnley

Peter's sale can be seen here and ends Tuesday, November 29th.

Photograph by David Turnley

David's sale can be seen here and ends Wednesday, December 14th.

Photo by Peter Turnley

I have this print hanging in my kitchen / dining room!

Photograph by David Turnley

I'll alert you when these sales end.

And a suggestion: even if you're not interested in a purchase now, go to the respective sales pages and see if you can decide which three you like best of each brother's offerings. This is the old "exercise in delectation" put forward by Thomas Hoving, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (a.k.a. "The Met") in New York City from 1967 to 1977. Hoving felt that to hone our taste we need to exercise it. Works for me!

Peter's pictures

David's pictures

Mike

Comments

[Patrick Wahl]

The photos of the couples kissing all feel like in invasion of privacy, so those would all be ruled out. I guess this is why I'm not a street photographer.

[Alex G.]

I’d choose your prints over these any day of the week. I can appreciate what it takes for the Turnleys to make these images, but I’d get bored of them on my wall quickly. Maybe it’s a bit of jadedness that comes from having seen so much of this type of imagery on greeting cards and posters hanging on the dorm walls of college freshmen, but I’m not drawn to this flavor of romance. Your recent work has meaning, but it also has shape and form that, for the most part, these lack. I like abstraction. Anyway, I did as you suggested. I looked at this work as an exercise in discernment and it led me back to you.

[Stan B.]

How is a picture that good (the last David Turnley) not better known!?! That is why we continue to search relentlessly through the chaff- to be humbled on those rarest of occasions...

[Albert Smith]

I recieved the email from Turnley (bought his Covid book) and looked through the available prints. One of my favorite images from his "Parisians" book, the young lady on the back cover was offered and I'd love to see a real print versus the mass produced book cover. That desire took a back seat to the economics of the price. I'm sure the cost is worth it to some, but it is a bit out of my league for a wall hanging.

Selling prints, there's an idea, Mike.😉

[Robert Ades]

Mike, please pardon the newbe question, but does 12x16 reference the image size or the paper size?

[Paper size. Peter says that 12x16 is a standard "European collector print size" but I've never come across a reference to it as such elsewhere. --Mike]

[David Lee]

I have been a fan of both Peter and David for a long time. Lately I am leaning more towards David’s photographs. My son lives in Paris at the moment and I told him that I wouldn’t be surprised if he bumps into Peter’s path one of these days.

[Olivier]

While Paris is not high no my personal list (I guess I lived there for too long), it deserves better than to be maintained in this folkloric state which to me is meant to represent what our liberators found in the fourties.
It is as if resident photographers in New York City were still trying to photograph workers having lunch on a shaft during the construction of a skyscraper. Time has passed and while it is great to see work from the past, current photos should not be taken in a rear view mirror.
I see four photographs, and four clichés. I agree with Alex G. that your own pictures were more interesting.

[Christer Almqvist]

@ Patrick Wahl (re.: invasion of privacy). As a student I worked as a a telegram delivery boy. That was in the 1960's and well before street maps on iphones. I very quickly developed a sense of what type of person it would be worthwhile to ask for directions.

A similar sort of sense is good have in street photography. I am sure the Turnleys have developed this into a fine art. The way you look, act and talk may open or close doors. And anyway, Parisians are quite open to have their picture taken. It may be different where you live.

[louis mccullagh]

A lot of kissing going on in those photos with preferably the Eiffel tower in the background. Sort of tourist souvenir images, I am I confess a tourist in Paris.

Last month in Paris it was hilarious to see all the tourists wearing berets - 3 euros any colour (Emily in Paris).

I always judge a photo by would I hang it on my wall.