45th Anniversary Exhibition
September 6th - October 25th, 2025
Berenice Abbott
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
Wynn Bullock
Paul Caponigro
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Walter Chappell
Lynn Geesaman
Laura Gilpin
Luis González Palma
Beaumont Newhall
Nancy Newhall
Olivia Parker
Eliot Porter
Sebastião Salgado
Ralph Steiner
Alfred Stieglitz
Jerry Uelsmann
Willard Van Dyke
Edward Weston
Minor White
Scheinbaum & Russek Ltd is celebrating 45 years in the world of fine art photography. Their journey from a humble beginning in David Scheinbaum’s home in 1979 to becoming a leading gallery in Santa Fe and internationally is a story rich in passion, mentorship, and a deep respect for the photographic medium and its history.
Scheinbaum & Russek, Ltd was established in 1980 through a series of serendipitous events. In 1978, David Scheinbaum moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, with the hope of meeting and working with the pre-eminent photography scholar, Beaumont Newhall. This dream came true. Their professional relationship had many facets, and with that, a friendship quickly developed. In 1979, Beaumont asked David to print his negatives. Often, the people who came to work and study with Beaumont would ask to see his work. Beaumont would send them to David, who found himself in the position of creating a “meeting place” for photographers and collectors in his home. The idea for a gallery evolved in 1980 when Janet Russek moved to Santa Fe. They opened their doors with a retrospective of Willard Van Dyke’s work.
At 19, Willard was Edward Weston’s assistant and very involved in the West Coast photography circle. It was Willard’s youthful energy that started the group f64. Their first exhibition was in November 1932 at the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum. Although f64 was short-lived, its philosophies live on to this day.
Van Dyke shared his enthusiasm for the gallery with fellow photographer Ralph Steiner. In return, Steiner wrote the following letter to Willard, which included a number of prints for the gallery, and the following correspondence began:
Dear Willard,
“You said the people who run the gallery you like were “nice”. So here’s my “standard
contribution” to a starting photography gallery or department …..
Ralph Steiner in a letter to Willard Van Dyke, 1982
Dear Mr. Steiner,
Thanks so much for the “standard contribution”. We work on a % commission.
If this is agreeable to you, we will send you a consignment form.
Janet Russek in a letter to Ralph Steiner, April 1982
Dear Ms. Russek,
Don’t understand % – the prints are a gift – – – – – free . Sell them and use 100% for your gallery’s birth. We photog’s must help galleries stay in business – and visa versa. Good luck – things in photog. galleries now very bad…. the blessings, r. st.
Ralph Steiner in a letter to Scheinbaum & Russek, May 1982
It has been through the generosity and support of friends like Willard and Ralph Steiner that have helped us sustain Scheinbaum & Russek. We have been blessed working with extraordinary people: artists, collectors, historians, curators, and many, many photography admirers. All have contributed to an exciting and fulfilling career.
During the early years, the gallery was located in a house in the Guadalupe Barrio on Don Felix Street. At the time, only Nicholas Potter Bookshop and the Santa Fe Center for Photography were exhibiting photographs in Santa Fe. Photography was just beginning to be considered “collectable” by those other than photographers themselves. While David continued to work with Beaumont Newhall, Janet began assisting Eliot Porter. Their relationship also grew from the studio to the gallery, and the gallery began to expand, representing both local and international photographers. To date, they have exhibited and worked with over 300 photographers.
The dual mission of our endeavors revolved around the exhibition of masterworks by renowned national and international artists, and, more importantly, education. Scheinbaum & Russek have approached the gallery world through their roles as educators, artists, and collectors, and bring to their gallery an appreciation of photographers, the fine print, and the history of photography.
Our goal has always been to educate the community about photography as an artistic medium and to inform potential collectors about the importance of understanding that, in a reproductive art form, one collects not only photographic “pictures” but also the significance of the “interpretive print” and the connoisseurship of collecting.
As individuals, Janet and David supported many photographic activities, organizations, and groups, promoting photography as an art medium. Both worked with and served on the Board of the Santa Fe Center for Photography. They are founders of the New Mexico Council on Photography, and both served on the board of the Marion Center for Photographic Arts. Russek is also a founding member of the Santa Fe Children’s Museum. David was a professor of photography and Director at The Anne and John Marion Center for Photographic Arts at the College of Santa Fe, where he started teaching in 1980. David and Janet are exhibiting photographers and have several books published on their works. A new collaborative publication will be coming out in the fall of 2026, published by George Thompson Publishing, focusing on Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France.
In 1985, Scheinbaum & Russek were accepted to The Association of International Fine Art Photography Dealers (AIPAD), where Janet Russek also served as a board member.
The tradition is now being carried on by their daughter, Andra Russek, whose love of the history of photography was formed in her early years while sitting at the feet of Beaumont Newhall. Andra previously served as a photography expert at Swann Galleries and Sotheby’s auction houses in New York, and currently serves as the gallery director as well as an appraiser of photography for individuals and estates. Andra also serves on the board of AIPAD as the Vice President and chairs the Education Committee.
With Andra now taking the reins, the gallery continues to thrive, with a nod to its legacy, while also embracing the digital age through initiatives like their YouTube series, Straight Talk on Collecting Photography, and their history of photography blog on their website. Their commitment to curating exhibitions and providing expert advice on photography collecting has only grown stronger.