Wendy Zieger, Account Manager

1. What is your role at Bridgeman?

I am a Senior Account Manager for the New York office.  I handle sales for our key accounts in design, advertising, products and periodical publishing. I help clients find the right images for their projects, help them with clearances or questions and then arrange the license when they are ready. I'm usually working in my remote office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but travel frequently to meet with clients or attend trade shows and conferences. 

2. What do you love most about the job? 

I love traveling and meeting clients in person and building relationships with people.   My clients and colleagues are so interesting!  I love seeing beautiful (and some not so beautiful) art everyday. It's even better when I'm in a museum and get to see works we have in the archive in person, because no matter how perfect the photo may be, the experience of seeing a work of art that I've seen so many times on my computer  screen is always different.   

3. What misconceptions do clients most commonly have about the archive?

I think our clients are surprised that we have as many images as we do, and that we have more than just fine art.  We have so much photography, historical imagery, maps and even documents.  We have over four million images and while I see hundreds of images every day, I know I've only seen a fraction of what we have. In addition, I love finding those hidden gems - especially when it fits the spec perfectly!

1. Edward VI by Holbein

The first art museum I ever visited was the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC with my family when I was 12.  I remember seeing this portrait of the baby son of Henry VIII. Initially it was the sumptuous costume that attracted my eye, but later I learned that, this royal baby, Henry’s only legitimate son, died at a young age. The portrait has a hopefulness that was lost when the little prince died. Now, I’m a huge royal watcher and love British history, especially the Tudor period.  One of my favourite authors is Philippa Gregory. She writes historical period novels and I am happy to say we supplied a few images for her book covers. I would love to meet her one day.

2. Ginger Cat by Louis Wain

This English artist was best known for his psychedelic cat drawings and this is one work from the Bethlem Royal Hospital Museum. It is said he suffered from schizophrenia. H. G. Wells said "He [Wain] has made the cat his own. He invented a cat style, a cat society, a whole cat world. English cats that do not look and live like Louis Wain cats are ashamed of themselves." I’m not a cat person (I have a very sweet, miniature Australian Shepherd) so it’s not the subject matter of his work that I like so much but rather the proposed connection between his mental state and the agitation in his images. It reminds me of Van Gogh’s work when he was in the asylum in Arles, with the frenetic movement of his brushstrokes.

3. Nike of Samothrace

This classical Greek depiction of Winged Victory in the Louvre is well known to art historians and represents the greatest masterpiece in Hellenistic art and it is easy to see why. The impressive Parian marble sculpture stands over 8 feet high and the wind dramatically blows her garments behind her. The sculptor transforms the marble into dynamic folds of clothing unlike any statues that were done before her. It’s extraordinary and the photographer has used the black background and the lighting to enhance the work. 

4. Lisbeth Reading by Carl Larsson

Larsson has become one of my favourite artists and I didn’t discover him until I began at Bridgeman. I find his paintings and watercolours charming and quiet. As Sweden’s most beloved painter, his depictions of his home and family inspired much of today’s contemporary Swedish designs.

5. Portrait of a Woman by Jacob Ferdinand Voet

I love everything about this painting, from her face and hair to her jewels and her gown. She looks at the artist boldly and confidently. We don’t know who this beautiful woman was for certain but it is thought this portrait is of Anna Maria (Marie) Mancini, one of five sisters from Rome who were known in the court of King Louis XIV of France. They were called the Mazarinettes because they were nieces of Cardinal Mazarin and were sent to Paris to find wealthy husbands. Marie caught the eye of the Sun King himself but the king’s mother did not want her to marry him so she banished Marie to marry an Italian prince instead. Voet was Flemish and worked in Italy from the 1660’s to 1684, so it is likely this was painted in Rome after she left Paris, and apparently from her demeanor in this portrait, her spirit was not broken.

6. Footage: 125yrs of the Eiffel Tower

I like the way we’ve put the music and stills together on this clip of the most recognizable and beloved Parisian landmark.