I thought I would be the proud owner of a set of 15 large format prints made by Joel Sternfeld. It did not in fact happen - but it ended very well with making his acquaintance and getting a piece of his work which I will treasure.

In the summer of 2003, Joel Sternfeld was commissioned to document visitors at Sunparks resort’s four locations in Belgium. This series titled A Brief Stay is a statement about summer and the rare moments of reprieve for these hardworking people and their families. These works capture the atmosphere of visitors experiencing a vacation where the pressures of life and the surrounding circumstances are temporarily held on pause. The theme of seasons figure strongly in Sternfeld’s work and this series delves into the concept of summer suspended in individual moments.

JOEL STERNFELD, b. 1944 - A Brief Stay, 2003. Fifteen color coupler prints. Each 23 ½ x 18 ⅞ in. (59.7 x 47.9 cm). Each signed, titled and dated in ink on the reverse of the mount; thirteen numbered 1/7 in ink on the reverse of the mount.

PROVENANCE Acquired directly from the artist