Ian Sanderson

Dragonfly-Unique Gum Bichromate print(sensitised watercolour), Photographic print

2016

Two 19th-century printing techniques, platinum palladium and gum bichromate, which are best known for their integration of precious materials, complex processes and durability, were nearly lost over time — until recently. In his final years, Scottish photographer Ian Sanderson breathed life back into these forgotten techniques with his black and white photography, nude photography and other works, and he was one of only a handful of artists worldwide to have done so at the time.

Sanderson studied Fine Art at Sunderland University in England but could not afford to pursue postgraduate studies back then. Instead, Sanderson explored photography on his own while working a host of jobs including factory work, a silkscreen printer, and a photographer for the conservation department for the Newcastle Upon Tyne museums. He was able to move to Brighton to complete one year of postgraduate studies in Art Education and become both a lecturer at Northbrook College and a teacher in a closed unit for young criminals.

Seemingly on his way to a stable career, the 1990s had other plans for Sanderson. The UK financial crisis saw Sanderson lose his job and apartment, sending him back to square one. By 1993, he was able to buy a computer and teach himself how to become proficient at a relatively new, revolutionary application — Photoshop. From there, Sanderson secured freelance work with commercial clients including General Motors, Subaru, Alfa Romeo and Coca-Cola. 

In 2009, Sanderson made an important connection when he photographed legendary Tiffany & Co. jewelry designer and philanthropist Elsa Peretti for the Financial Times in London. The pair worked closely together on and off for years. Peretti and her foundation sponsored a large retrospective exhibition in Barcelona focusing on Sanderson’s photography. It was at this show that Sanderson had the opportunity to produce prints by way of the archival techniques he’d revived.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of authentic Ian Sanderson photography.