Friday, June 3, 2011

EXHIBITION REVIEW: COMPOSING THE ARTIST

Truman Capote, Holcomb, Kansas, April,1967
Steve Schapiro: Truman Capote, Holcomb, Kansas, April,1967

THE Magazine
Santa Fe's Monthly Magazine
June 1, 2011

In the words of the great storyteller Eudora Welty, “a good snapshot stops a moment from runningaway.” Capturing someone on film is a tricky business, particularly when that someone is a famous author or artist. The skill and agility of the photographer is elegantly evidenced in Composing the Artist, an exhibition currently on display at Monroe Gallery. This diverse survey offers an intimate glimpse into some of thepast century’s most iconic art personalities.


Abstract artists who emerged in the middle of the twentieth century introduced not only new ways of making art, but in fact encouraged us to look at the very concept and convention of art with fresh eyes. In Helen Frankenthaler, New York (1969) Frankenthaler is in a deep downward bend, pouring a bucket of paint onto a canvas spread out across the floor. She wears an expression of almost otherworldly serenity on her face—an aspect that stands in sharp contrast to the revolutionary physicality of her actions. This photograph of the incongruously graceful Frankenthaler is placed near an image of Jackson Pollock, who is crouched down in characteristic paint-flinging insouciance with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Deeply personal portraits like these underscore the intimate and sometimes sensual act involved in the process of a painting’s creation and make us momentarily privy to the very human activity of artistic expression.

Even a cursory familiarity with the creative luminaries of the past century is helpful in appreciating this show. For example, a 1967 shot of Truman Capote—dapperly dressed and jauntily posing outside the Holcomb, Kansas post office—seems playful at first glance; knowing that sleepy Holcomb is the town made infamous by Capote in his crime novel In Cold Blood adds depth and interest to this otherwise lighthearted composition. Fans of Matisse will swoon over Robert Capa’s 1950 portrait of the celebrated abstractionist. The stout eighty-one-year-old painter is holding up a thin, long brush that’s roughly the length of his body and gently applying paint to a large sheet of paper taped to the wall. The image’s caption informs us that Matisse is making sketches for the murals of the Chapelle des Dominicains, in Paris. To hold a brush of this length would be an awkward feat for even the most able-bodied young man. It’s clear, however, that Matisse’s advanced age doesn’t hinder him from his creative endeavors in the slightest. The artist’s calm agility creates a composition of remarkable impact.

Pablo Picasso and Françoise Gilot pictures the couple walking along a beach. A beaming Picasso is holding a parasol above Gilot, his longtime muse and lover, and one recognizes in their carefree smiles the sort of sun-soaked giddiness that comes with spending a romantic day at the beach. The frayed rim of the straw hat worn by the radiantly beautiful Gilot is offset by the fringed tassels on the parasol carried by Picasso, adding further visual intrigue to the happy scene.

A riveting 1958 portrait of Vladimir Nabokov taken by Carl Mydans captures the author leaning out of a car window, looking over his shoulder with his hair mussed and his eyeglasses halfway down his nose. His eyes twinkle with mischief, and his quiet smile is both disinterested and amused. The subject’s disheveled appearance contrasts mysteriously with his cunning countenance, making the simple act of looking at a photograph a strangely private experience. A portrait of Ernest Hemingway on a hunting trip with his son in Sun Valley, Idaho, in 1941, is absolutely stunning. The ten- or eleven-year-old boy is lounging nonchalantly against a bridge, his clean bare feet flexed, and it’s clear that this comfortable pair is taking a break from the day’s activities. The calm, casually postured Hemingway adds a quality of mellow serenity to a scene that is at once unplanned and composed. This quiet look at a moment of relaxation between father and son stops just short of being sentimental, and contains that rare quality that makes photography such a singularly personal and moving art form.

The exhibition standouts are plenty, and Monroe Gallery does a fine job of including a wide range of complex, fascinating characters. Perhaps that clichéd concept of “the good old days” is a largely exaggerated one, but these photographs nevertheless leave one feeling an almost intoxicating nostalgia for a bygone era marked by creative vigor and intellectual ingenuity.

—Iris McLister

The exhibition continues through June 26, 2011

MONROE GALLERY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

112 Don Gaspar
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505.992.0800

http://www.monroegallery.com/

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Richard Levy Gallery 20th Anniversary Celebration this Saturday, June 4th, 6:30 - 8:30 pm



 

What I Saw, Photographs by Richard Levy · The Project Room: The Post Card Show · June 4 - July 29, 2011


This Saturday, June 4 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm - the 20th anniversary celebration! To commemorate our 20 years in Albuquerque, we are hosting a benefit auction of photographs from What I Saw, by Richard Levy. Proceeds benefit local arts non-profit 516 ARTS and Seed2Need -a great organization that provides fresh produce to local food pantries. Please join us for this event, celebrate 20 years of Richard Levy Gallery, and give back to our community!

Guests will also be treated to The Postcard Show, which includes hundreds of vintage postcards from Richard Levy's own collection (many of which came from his days on skates at the Silver Sunbeam). The exhibit spans from turn of the century to contemporary, including a large assortment from vintage Albuquerque, linen advertising, photographic, photo-manipulations, chromes, hand painted, airbrushed and countless other gems. Richard Levy began developing one of the most extensive postcard collections in the Southwest in the early 70's as postcard dealer and owner of The Silver Sunbeam. The Postcard Show is an experience that any New Mexico history fan or postcard aficionado won't want to miss!!

Dates: June 4 - July 29, 2011

Reception: Saturday June 4th, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 - 4:00
Location: 514 Central Avenue SW, Albuquerque
Contact: 505.766.9888, info@levygallery.com

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

2011 REVIEW SANTA FE JUNE 3 - 5



Set in scenic Northern New Mexico, Review Santa Fe is the premier juried portfolio review event in the world. Designed to facilitate relationships between photographers and industry professionals interested in new work.

Up to 100 photographers are selected to meet with some of today’s most relevant and esteemed curators, editors, publishers, gallerists and others eager to discuss photography and the creative impulse.

The three-day event offers participants nine portfolio reviews, inclusion in the Review Santa Fe 100 Online Listing, Welcome Reception at the NM Museum of Art, Closing Reception, and a Sunday Seminar at the NM Museum of Art. Plus the art and photographic communities host additional events concurrent with Review Santa Fe to make for a vibrant and dynamic weekend.

Portfolio Viewing

Friday, June 3, 5:30-8:00pm - free and open to the public
Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza

Please join us on this one special evening to view a broad range of contemporary photography, encompassing social, environmental and political issues, plus exceptional fine-art projects.

The public will have the opportunity to peruse the bodies of work and speak with the artists from all over the world in this unique exposition/exhibition format

Panel Discussion on Photography's Cultural Impact
"Spheres of Influence: Photography and its Cultural Impact"

Sunday, June 5, 10:30-12pm, St. Francis Auditorium, New Mexico Museum of Art

Free and open to the public
Indie Photobook Library

June 3-4, 2011, Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza
Free and open to the public
Indie Photobook Library (iPL) is an archive of self-published and indie published photobooks that showcases and preserves them through traveling exhibitions and as a non-circulating public library.


Review Santa Fe is organized by the nonprofit organization, Center, founded in 1994, it supports, promotes and provides opportunity to gifted and committed photographers.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

HAPPY (85th) BIRTHDAY MARILYN MONROE



Marilyn Monroe,
Richard C. Miller: Marilyn Monroe, "Some Like It Hot"



Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) was born June 1 in Los Angeles (as Norma Jean Mortensen).


The Norma Jeane Portfolio - Limited edition boxed set of twelve
Richard C. Miller: Norma Jean Dougherty, 1946



Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood, 1953
Alfred Eisenstaedt: Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood, 1953


Irving Haberman: Marilyn Monroe at a New York Yankees game, c. 1954

 


Marilyn Monroe Singing
Bill Ray: Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy,
Madison Square Garden, New York, May 19, 1962



Sunday, May 29, 2011

MEMORIAL DAY






Eric Smith: "In the American Midwest, communities are bonded by patriotism, heartbreak, and war"

 
Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday of May, commemorates the men and women who died while in the military service. In observance of the holiday, many people visit cemeteries and memorials, and volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at national cemeteries. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time.

Related: Memorial Day, 2010

Friday, May 27, 2011

Photojournalist Bill Eppridge Has Devoted His Life to Covering "Wars, Riots, and Revolutions"-- and a whole lot more

The News Times

Fairfield Museum hosts photojournalist Eppridge show
Phyllis A.S. Boros, Staff Writer
Published 06:15 p.m., Thursday, May 26, 2011

Robert F. Kennedy in front of a poster of his brother, Columbus, Ohio, 1968

In this photograph by Bill Eppridge, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy stands in front of a poster of his late brother, President John F. Kennedy, at a Democratic fundraiser at the Ohio Fairgrounds, Ohio, in 1966. This image ran on the cover of Life magazine on Nov. 18, 1966. The renowned New Milford photojournalist is now being honored with a retrospective at the Fairfield Museum and History Center.



Intrepid in his desire to document the world around him, photojournalist Bill Eppridge has devoted his professional life to covering "wars, riots and revolutions" -- and a whole lot more.

In a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Eppridge has managed to capture extraordinary moments in America's political and cultural history for the likes of National Geographic, Life magazine and Sports Illustrated.

His iconic 1968 photos of a dying Robert Kennedy -- lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor of the Ambassador Hotel seconds after being shot by Sirhan Sirhan -- are part of the American experience.

Also familiar to millions of Americans are his photos from numerous Winter Olympic games, as well as those from such seminal events from the 1960s and '70s as the Beatles' first visit to America, the Woodstock music festival, the Vietnam War and the funeral of civil right activist James Chaney in Mississippi.



The Chaney family as they depart for the burial of James Chaney, Meridian, Mississippi, August 7, 1964

The Life magazine photograph by Bill Eppridge captures the Chaney family leaving for the burial of James Chaney in Meridian, Miss., in August 1964. James Chaney was one of three young civil rights volunteers who went missing in Mississippi in June 1964, abducted by the Klu Klux Klan. Their bodies were found several weeks later in an earthen dam. A retrospective honoring Eppridge, of New Milford, is on view at the Fairfield Museum through Aug. 28


His landmark photo essay for Life that focused on Manhattan's former so-called "Needle Park" inspired the Al Pacino movie "Panic in Needle Park."

And now the renowned photographer has turned his attention to the evocative beauty of old barns found in and around New Milford, where he and his wife live.

More than 65 images from these and other phases of Eppridge's career are now the subject of a three-gallery retrospective at the Fairfield Museum and History Center. The exhibit will be on view through Aug. 28 as part of the museum's Images 2011 celebration.

Motorcycle race, Mojave desert


New Milford photojournalist Bill Eppridge captured this 1971 photo for Life magazine at the start of the Barstow-to-Las Vegas motorcycle race, with 650 entrants, by standing on the skid outside of a helicopter at 500 feet above ground. The photo is included in Images 2011 at the Fairfield Museum through Aug. 28.


In addition to the Eppridge retrospective, Images 2011 also includes the museum's third annual Juried Photography Exhibition, featuring one gallery devoted to more than 70 photos -- all deemed noteworthy by a panel of four judges that included Eppridge --in student and professional/serious amateur adult divisions.

Born on March 20, 1938, in Argentina to American parents (his father was stationed there as a chemical engineer for DuPont), Eppridge spent his formative years growing up in Richmond, Va.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Wilmington, Del.

During a recent telephone chat, Eppridge said that he first became interested in photography at about age 10 for reasons that were anything but altruistic.

"Sibling rivalry -- that's the reason. I have this older sister who has always been a very fine artist. She draws, paints, sculpts -- and I can't draw a straight line. I wanted to do something (creative) so I could compete with her. So I went to her and asked her to show me how to use a camera, and she begrudgingly agreed," he recalled, laughing.

By high school, his interest in photography had blossomed into a full-blown passion. After a short stint at the University of Toronto, Eppridge headed for the University of Missouri's School of Journalism, where he graduated with a major in photojournalism in 1959.

In that same year, while still a student, good fortune would visit Eppridge -- and shape his life for years to come.

"I had this friend who was a horse" at a nearby farm, Eppridge said, as he began a story about shooting an award-winning photo for the cover of this college newspaper's farm supplement.

"This horse knew me . . .Whenever I would drive by, I'd always give him a lump of sugar." So Eppridge headed to the farm to photograph "his friend" when the newspaper's editor announced that he was in desperate need of a last-minute photograph. "But when I got out of the car, I slipped and I spooked him -- and he took off running."

Eppridge had the opportunity to shoot just one photo -- and that photo would become "Stormy, Columbia, Missouri, 1959," a dramatic photograph of a white horse charging through a field with "tornadic" storm clouds in the distance.

That photo won him the National Press Photographer's Award/First Prize Pictorial. And that award, plus the distinction of being named College Photographer of the Year, caught the attention of Life photography director Roy Rowan -- subsequently leading to his long affiliation with the magazine.

"Hard to say whether I made luck happen, or whether luck happened to me," he said, again laughing.

Eppridge said that he has always gotten great joy from plying his art and craft no matter the subject. But he noted that one of the most fascinating periods of his life was spending more than a year on the road with Bobby Kennedy, covering his presidential campaign for Life magazine. He says he came to admire Kennedy enormously -- "I thought he was the right man for the time" -- and documenting his assassination was terribly sad.

But Eppridge said he has remarkable eye-hand coordination (a product he said from playing lots of pinball in college) and shooting those iconic photos of a fallen Kennedy were instinctual.

Renowned in recent years as a teacher devoted to mentoring a new generation of photojournalists, Eppridge says he advises students to "never put that camera down . . . it always has to be with you. And you really, really have to want to do this.

"This is an extraordinary time in history . . . with ideas traveling around the world with incredible speed. It all has to be documented. It has to be done, and as photojournalists, we have to do it."


ANNUAL PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW

More than 650 images from about 220 photographers were submitted for consideration in this year's photography show. From that pool of entries, 71 works from 50 photographers were chosen to be featured in Images 2011 in six categories: abstract, architecture, landscape, nature, photojournalism and portraiture. A regional competition, the event is open to those who work or live in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York.

Joining Eppridge on the judge's panel were photo editor Adrienne Aurichio, of New Milford; photographer Stephen Wilkes, of Westport; and photographer/teacher Thomas Mezzanotte, who was Fairfield Arts Center's 2010 Artist of the Year.

Taking top honors in the professional/serious amateur category is Sandy Gennirch, of Stamford, who presented two works: a nature photo, "Horseshoe Crab Ritual," and an abstract "Dry Docked." Her prize is a 10-day exhibition at Southport Galleries at a yet undetermined date.

Winner in the student division is Daria Lombroso, of New Rochelle, who submitted three portraits while a senior at Wesleyan University in Middletown. Her three photos are titled: "Jaime, White Plains," "Tomato and Cheese Sandwich, White Plains" and "Jorge and Andrew, Scarsdale." Lombroso will receive a professional review of her work by Wilkes.

UPCOMING EVENTS

In conjunction with Images 2011, the Fairfield Museum has scheduled several upcoming events including the following:

Screening of PBS American Experience/"Freedom Riders," about the civil rights movement, post-film discussion with artist Tracy Sugarman; Thursday, June 2, 7 to 9 p.m.; free.

"The Soiling of Old Glory: The Power of a Photograph" lecture by Louis Masur of Trinity College, Hartford; Thursday, July 14, 7 to 9 p.m.; $8, students $5.

Behind the Lens guided tours; Thursdays June 23, July 28 and Aug. 18; 10 to 11 a.m.; included with regular admission.

Family Day, with special activities for children, Sundays July 31 and Aug. 21, noon to 4 p.m.; included with regular admission.

The Fairfield Museum and History Center is at 370 Beach Road, behind Fairfield's Independence Hall (exit 22 off Interstate 95). Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $5, $3 for students 6 through 22 years of age and senior citizens; free for children 5 and younger. Call 203-259-1598 or visit http://www.fairfieldhs.org/.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

"Over 40 years ago, in 1968, I photographed for LIFE a great tragedy"



Robert Kennedy
Bill Eppridge: Robert F. Kennedy addresses a jubilant crowd, The Ambassador Hotel, June 5, 1968
©Time Inc.


The Westport News
Out of the Woods
Woody Klein

Published 10:10 a.m., Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I saw Bobby Kennedy -- again -- last weekend. The stunning collection of vivid black and white photos by famed photographer Bill Eppridge at the Fairfield Museum brought the late Democratic senator back to life for me.


The photos, which I never saw before, were published in Life magazine shortly after Kennedy was shot to death in Los Angeles on June 6, 1968, at the age of 42. It is not an exaggeration to share with you the fact that these moving images reignited mixed feelings about this complex man.

There is no better way to explain my feelings than to repeat here the words of Eppridge on a placard as you enter the museum. Eppridge wrote:

"Over 40 years ago, in 1968, I photographed for LIFE a great tragedy, and a vision of it has stayed with me for all of this time. Our country was going off course with a war overseas, racial inequality and far too much poverty in relation to the amount of wealth that existed. A man emerged to lead us out of this: Robert F. Kennedy. For the short amount of time that he existed on earth he inspired a generation who to this day remember the excitement and hopes that he brought. He died too young, too tragically."

Just after midnight on June 5, 1968, Bobby Kennedy was shot in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles following his victory in the California presidential primary that clinched his Democratic nomination for president. He died 26 hours later.

My thoughts always turn to Bobby Kennedy at this time every year. His death, which will be commemorated on Monday, June 6, became a memorable part of my life as a reporter in October of 1965 when I was working as a TV journalist for WCBS. I managed to get an exclusive interview with him on a visit to what was then called "the worst slum building" in New York City -- 311 East 100th Street.

Kennedy's staff arranged for the interview specifically because of the reputation of this one building which, I pointed out, deserved symbolic attention from a man who had spent the latter part of his political life focusing on the poor. Prior to that time, I had never met him.

He picked me up in his two-door car at WCBS on West 57th Street. He was sitting in the passenger seat up front. I got in the back directly behind him. He greeted me with barely a smile, then turned has head towards me as we made our way up the East Side Drive.

"What's in this for me?" he asked, staring directly at me.

"A story and photo of you showing you care about the poor," I answered directly.

"And what's in this for you?" he continued.

"An exclusive TV story for tonight's news with Bobby Kennedy," I replied.

"Fine," he said in his clipped tone. That seemed to satisfy him.

When we arrived at East 100th Street, we got out of his car and I pointed the building out to him. Before going in, however, he immediately reached for a football inside his car and began to toss it around to some of the Puerto Rican kids on the street. There was a lot of excitement.

Obviously, they knew who he was. When I told him I'd like to interview him, he dropped the football and climbed atop his car, extending his hand for me to follow. I made it up there, microphone in hand while my crew waited patiently nearby.

I turned to him and asked him a question. Before answering, however, he grabbed the mike and pointed it towards his face rather than mine. "This is the way you do it, Woody," he told me, knowing that I had left the New York World Telegram & Sun after a decade and was just starting as an on-air TV reporter.

Momentarily embarrassed, I conducted our interview on the roof of his car for a few minutes. Without warning, he jumped to the ground and told me to follow him up the stairs of the run-down tenement. No sooner had he arrived at the front step when he saw a little boy with the strings to both of his shoes untied. Kennedy got down on one knee and carefully tied bows on each shoe, knowing the cameras were rolling. This guy is a real pro and a showman, I thought to myself. Our interview aired that evening and I got a few "atta-boys" at the WCBS studios.

Segue now, if you will, to a few months later in January 1966. I was playing a new role as press secretary to New York Mayor John V. Lindsay. The Transport Workers Union, led by the fiery Mike Quill, had gone on strike at midnight New Year's Eve. The first weeks were chaotic as New Yorkers tried to find ways to get to work. On January 12, Lindsay called me on our intercom and told me: "Bobby Kennedy's secretary called me and said he may be coming in sometime this afternoon to try and help solve the strike. Let's clear the decks for him."

Less than a half hour later, Kennedy made his way through the swarming press crowd and into the mayor's outer office. I walked in and sat down next to him.

"Hello, Senator, it's good to see you again," I said shaking his hand. After several awkward minutes, I found myself saying something quite personal to him: "I just want to tell you, Senator, in case I never get another opportunity, that I had a great deal of admiration and respect for your brother." He replied, turning to me: "Thank you," in a barely audible voice.

After we had waited for about 10 minutes, Kennedy said, matter-of-factly: `Tell your boss that I am not going to cool my heels out here much longer. Either we go in now or I leave." I quickly got up and delivered that ultimatum to Lindsay, who was sitting behind his desk deliberately, I thought, keeping Kennedy waiting.

When I delivered Kennedy's message Lindsay told me to usher him in. We entered Lindsay's office, Lindsay extended his hand and smiled to Kennedy: "Hello, Bob, it's good to see you again." That was exactly the opposite of how Lindsay felt, I knew, because the media already had speculated that the two politicians would be running for president against each other someday. (Kennedy ran in 1968, Lindsay, as a Democrat, unsuccessfully, in 1972.)

Kennedy spoke first. --"Well, tell me what it is all about, John. How has it been going?"

Lindsay then recited all the reasons why the strike occurred and paced the floor of his office as Kennedy sat motionless, firing questions at him. He told the senator that he thought the strike would last for another day or two.

In fact, there was an agreement with the union the very next day. The ensuing press conference was brief, not especially informative, and cold.

That was the last time I saw or talked with Bobby Kennedy.

Related: Bill Eppridge: An American Treasure

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

BOB DYLAN AT 70




Bill Eppridge: Bob Dylan with Pete Seeger, Newport Folk Festival, 1964


Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo, New York, 1963
Don Hunstein: Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo, New York, 1963



Elliot Landy: Bob Dylan, Infrared, Woodstock, 1968



Elliot Landy: Bob Dylan, Woodstock, (Nashville Skyline), 1969



Bob Dylan,  1975
Ken Regan: Bob Dylan, 1975




Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen Meeting For First Time, Backstage, New Haven, Ct, 1975
Ken Regan: Bob Dylan and Bruce Sprinsteen meet for the first time, backstage, New Haven, CT, 1975




Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg at Jack Kerouac's grave, Lowell, MA, 1975
Ken Regan: Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg at Jack Kerouac's grave, Lowell, MA, 1975

For 50 years, Bob Dylan has inspired musicians and songwriters, politicians and protesters, presidents and popes. Robert Allen Zimmerman was born in St. Mary's Hospital on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota.  Explaining his change of name in a 2004 interview, Dylan remarked: "You're born, you know, the wrong names, wrong parents. I mean, that happens. You call yourself what you want to call yourself. This is the land of the free".



Monday, May 23, 2011

Remembering ICP's Founder Cornell Capa today on the anniversary of his death


Cornell Capa by Alfred Eisenstaedt

"The idea that photography can't be personal is madness!...I see something, it goes through my eye, brain, heart, guts. I choose the subject. What could be more personal than that?" -- Cornell Capa (April 10, 1918 – May 23, 2008)

Via Magnum Photos

Accomplished Magnum photographer Cornell Capa passed away early on the morning of May 23rd at home in New York.


Cornell Capa was born Cornell Friedmann to a Jewish family in Budapest. In 1936 he moved to Paris, where his brother Andre (Robert Capa) was working as a photojournalist. He worked as his brother's printer until 1937, then moved to New York to join the new Pix photo agency. In 1938 he began working in the Life darkroom. Soon his first photo-story - on the New York World's Fair - was published in Picture Post.

In 1946, after serving in the US Air Force, Cornell became a Life staff photographer. After his brother's death in 1954, he joined Magnum, and when David 'Chim' Seymour died in Suez in 1956 Capa took over as president of Magnum, a post he held until 1960.

Capa made an empathetic, pioneering study of mentally retarded children in 1954, and covered other social issues, such as old age in America. He also explored his own religious tradition. While working for Life, Capa made the first of several Latin American trips. These continued through the 1970s and culminated in three books, among them Farewell to Eden (1964), a study of the destruction of indigenous Amazon cultures.

Capa covered the electoral campaigns of John and Robert Kennedy, Adlai Stevenson and Nelson Rockefeller, among others. His 1969 book, New Breed on Wall Street, was a landmark study of a generation of ruthless young entrepreneurs keen on making money and spending it fast.

In 1974 Capa founded New York City's influential International Center of Photography, to which for many years he dedicated much of his considerable energy as its director.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The Art Market: Copyright or Wrong?

Via The Financial Times

By Georgina Adam
Published: May 20 2011 22:23


Copyright infringement is a hot issue today with Britain poised for a radical shake-up of its law on the subject. In the art market – and in the law courts – it is already squarely on the agenda as more artists incorporate “appropriation” (read: copying) into their practice. Photographers, in particular, are protesting and, in a recent high-profile case, both Richard Prince (king of appropriation) and his gallery Gagosian were found guilty of violating photographer Patrick Cariou’s rights. Prince made collages using Cariou’s images of Jamaican Rastafarians but barely changed them. An appeal is pending.

Matters went the other way in another case just settled. The European court in The Hague has thrown out a suit brought by the French luxury goods group LVMH against Nadia Plesner, a Dutch art student. In her painting “Darfurnica”, Plesner showed a starving African child clutching a swanky Louis Vuitton “Audra” handbag. Inspired by Picasso’s “Guernica”, the work is designed to draw attention to the conflict in Darfur and western indifference to it. It was put on sale in a Danish gallery for €67,000.

Vuitton accused Plesner of copyright infringement and won the initial case against her in January. She was fined almost €500,000 for continuing to display the painting. Vuitton had previously stopped Plesner showing a similar image on T-shirts and posters. But this time the artist fought back and the court has reversed the decision, ruling that the artist’s freedom of expression outweighed the importance of Vuitton’s protection of property. Plesner doesn’t have to pay the fine, the picture can be exhibited publicly and Vuitton has to pay part of her costs. “We [artists] have won back our freedom to make reference to the modern society we live in,” said Plesner. Her painting is currently on display at the small Herning Museum of Contemporary Art in Denmark. Because of the increased public interest, the show has been extended to June 19.

Related: APPROPRIATION: PHOTOGRAPHY, ART, AND "STEALING"