Paul Gottlieb, former president, publisher and vice-chairman at Harry N. Abrams, has resigned from the company and will take over as executive director of the Aperture Foundation, a book and magazine publisher of noted photographers. He will join Aperture on August 1. Aperture has been searching for a new director since the death of its longtime executive director, Michael Hoffman, in November 2001.
Janice Stanton, a former intellectual property lawyer and a member of the Aperture board, has been acting as interim executive director. She will manage the transition and continue as an Aperture board member.
Gottlieb's resignation comes after nearly two years of layoffs, new executive appointments and reorganizations at Abrams. His last position at Abrams was vice-chairman of the Martiniere Group, Abrams's French parent company. He told PW he had been considering leaving Abrams when he was approached by Aperture. "I stepped down from directing the company's day-to -day operations about two years ago," said Gottlieb. "Abrams has been in a transition period since 2000 with a new CEO and a new group running the company."
Gottlieb's immediate plans are to help Aperture plan "all kinds of celebrations and events" for its 50th anniversary, which is this year. In the longer term, Gottlieb told PW that Aperture's book program needs "strengthening. We need to look for strategic partnerships with museums and the like. Interest in photography is rising and we need to look for ways to expand the market for their books."
Cofounded in 1952 by such photographers as Minor White, Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams, Aperture specializes in publishing high-quality books collecting the work of many of the most famous photographers in the world. It publishes about 20 books a year in addition to Aperture magazine.
