Photographers Street Photography
Berenice Alice Abbott was an American photographer best known for her portraits of between-the-wars 20th century cultural figures, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and science interpretation in the 1940s to 1960s.
Manuel Álvarez Bravo was an Mexican visionary photographer whose work vividly illustrates the cultural heritage of Latin America. His unique perspective on life and superb photographic skills have inspired generations of photographers around the world.
Alvarez Bravo was known for his experiments with light and shadows, composition and form. His surreal photographs were often full of mystery and enigma, while also reflecting the difficulties and contradictions of Mexican society in the first half of the 20th century.
Alvarez Bravo's work marvellously combined aesthetic beauty with profound social context. His work is not only inspiring in its beauty but also a reminder of the importance of preserving peoples' cultural heritage and history.
Ellen Auerbach, born Ellen Rosenberg, is an American photographer of German-Jewish descent and a master of avant-garde photography.
Ellen studied at the Baden State School of Art and continued her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart before meeting photographer Greta Stern (1904-1999) in Berlin. Together they opened Ringl+pit, a photography and design studio specializing in advertising, fashion and portrait photography. The photographer is most remembered for her groundbreaking work at this particular studio. Ellen, who also experimented with film, made two short black-and-white films.
In 1933, Ellen emigrated to Palestine and opened a children's portrait studio there. A few years later she moved with her husband Walter Auerbach to the United States, where she worked in a private art collection, taught photography, made films and photographs to study children's behavior, and worked as an educational therapist.
The Ringl+pit works and photographic oeuvre of Ellen Auerbach and Greta Stern were rediscovered in the 1980s, and a series of solo and group exhibitions in the United States and Germany followed.
Werner Bischof was a Swiss photographer and photojournalist. He became a full member of Magnum Photos in 1949, the first new photographer to join its original founders. Bischof's book Japan (1954) was awarded the Prix Nadar in 1955.
Margaret Bourke-White was an American photographer and photojournalist. She studied photography at the Clarence H. White School of Photography. White, where she developed her trademark style using dramatic angles and strong contrasts of light and shadow.
Burke-White was one of the first women photographers to work for Life magazine, and her images became synonymous with the magazine's coverage of major world events such as World War II and the Korean War. She was also the first woman photographer to work in war zones during World War II, where she captured powerful images of warfare and its impact on civilians.
In addition to war photography, Bourke-White also documented the Great Depression in the United States and was one of the few photographers to gain access to the Soviet Union in the 1930s where she documented Soviet industrialization and the lives of ordinary people.
Bourke-White's work was known for its powerful impact and stark realism. She often risked her safety to get the perfect shot and her images continue to inspire photographers today. She published several books of her work, including 'Eyes on Russia' and 'Dear Fatherland, Rest in Peace'.
Bourke-White left behind a legacy as one of the greatest photojournalists of the 20th century.
Miguel Rio Branco, full name Miguel da Silva Paranhos do Rio Branco, is a Brazilian photographer, artist, director and creator of multimedia installations.
His father was a diplomat and as a child Miguel lived in Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and the USA, now living and working in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After earning a degree in photography from the New York Institute of Photography, Miguel first worked as a cameraman and then worked with the Magnum agency. Miguel is known for exploring and crossing two different art forms: painting and photography. He has also shot 14 short films and eight long films, he is recognized in the world as one of the best color photojournalists.
Miguel Rio Branco's photographs are part of the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Brassaï, whose real name was Gyula Halász, was a Hungarian-French artist and photographer best known for his work documenting the streets of Paris during the 1920s and 1930s. He was one of the key figures of the Surrealist movement and his work continues to influence photographers and artists to this day.
Brassaï moved to Paris in the 1920s to pursue a career in art. He initially worked as a journalist and began taking photographs to accompany his articles. However, it was his nocturnal photographs of the city that would bring him international fame.
Brassaï's photographs of the streets of Paris at night captured the city's seedier side, including its prostitutes, bars, and cabarets. His work is known for its use of dramatic lighting and strong contrast, which helped to create a moody, evocative atmosphere.
In addition to his photography, Brassaï was also a talented painter and sculptor. He was a close friend of many of the leading artists and writers of the time, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Henry Miller.
Brassaï's work has been exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world, and his photographs have been published in numerous books and magazines. He was one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, and his legacy continues to inspire artists and photographers today.
Mona Breede is a German photographer.
Mona Breede studied photography at the Bavarian School of Photography in Munich and at the Higher Art School in Karlsruhe. From 2001-2002 she taught photography and design at the Merkur Akademie in Karlsruhe. After working for some time in Chicago, in 2007 Mona Breede traveled to Asia and Russia and brought back a series of photographs from Shanghai, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Today, it is places and people that interest the photographer the most. As a photographer, Mona Breede has a receptive and sensitive eye. Her work interprets reality, imprints on it and has a great power of expression.
Harry Callahan was an American photographer and artist who is best known for his innovative and experimental work in the mid-20th century. He was began his artistic career as a painter before turning to photography.
Callahan's photographic work was characterized by his interest in abstraction, pattern, and form. He often photographed everyday objects and scenes, such as street signs, buildings, and landscapes, and used his camera to explore the beauty and complexity of the world around him.
Callahan was also known for his work as a teacher, and he taught photography at the Rhode Island School of Design for many years. His students included notable photographers such as Aaron Siskind and Ray K. Metzker, and he was known for his rigorous and challenging approach to teaching.
Callahan's legacy as an artist and photographer continues to influence contemporary photography and art. His innovative techniques and distinctive style continue to inspire new generations of artists, and his work is recognized as a significant contribution to the history of photography.
Cornell Capa is an American photographer, photojournalist and founder of the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York, the younger brother of the famous war correspondent Robert Capa.
Cornell Capa was known for his humanistic approach to photography, often capturing the lives and struggles of ordinary people. Throughout his career, he covered many important events, including the Spanish Civil War, World War II and the Vietnam War. Capa also photographed many famous people including John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Pablo Picasso.
In 1974, Cornell Capa founded ICP, which has since become one of the world's leading photography education and exhibition institutions. The ICP's mission is to promote the understanding and appreciation of photography as an art form as well as a means of communication and social change.
Throughout his career Capa has received numerous awards and honours, including the National Medal of Arts in 1988. His photographs continue to be exhibited in galleries and museums around the world and his legacy lives on through ICP.
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French artist renowned for his groundbreaking work in photography, particularly in the realms of photojournalism and street photography. Born on August 22, 1908, in Chanteloup, France, Cartier-Bresson's early artistic endeavors were in painting, which he began studying at the age of five. His transition to photography was marked by his adoption of a 35mm Leica camera in 1931, a tool that became synonymous with his work.
Henri Cartier-Bresson's photography is celebrated for its unique blend of spontaneity and composition, capturing moments that reveal deeper truths about their subjects. His theory of "the decisive moment" – that is, capturing an event that is ephemeral and spontaneous, yet significant – has had a profound influence on the field of photography. His work has been exhibited in prestigious venues such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is held in high esteem in art collections worldwide.
In addition to his personal achievements, Henri Cartier-Bresson was a co-founder of Magnum Photos in 1947, a cooperative agency for worldwide photographers that significantly influenced photojournalism. Later in his career, Cartier-Bresson returned to painting and drawing, demonstrating his lifelong commitment to the arts.
For art collectors and experts, Henri Cartier-Bresson's work offers a pivotal exploration of 20th-century photography, blending artistic vision with the unguarded moments of life. His influence extends beyond his images, shaping the way we perceive and engage with visual narratives.
To explore more about Henri Cartier-Bresson's influential career and works, and to stay updated on exhibitions or sales featuring his photography, you might consider subscribing to updates from art institutions or galleries that frequently showcase his work.
Lucien Clergue is a French photographer of black and white photography, the first photographer elected a member of the French Academy of Fine Arts.
Lucien Clergue is one of the most famous photographers in France and founder of the annual Arles Festival, which has become the main event in the world of artistic photography, attended by up to 100,000 people. His famous photographic works - modernist black and white studies of female nudes, harlequins, dead animals, gypsies and bullfighting - are considered exemplary of the photographer-artist. Clergue is also known for his friendship with Pablo Picasso, which lasted some 30 years, until the artist's death.
Imogen Cunningham was an American photographer known for her botanical photography, nudes, and industrial landscapes. Cunningham was a member of the California-based Group f/64, known for its dedication to the sharp-focus rendition of simple subjects.
Bruce Landon Davidson is an American photographer. He has been a member of the Magnum Photos agency since 1958. His photographs, notably those taken in Harlem, New York City, have been widely exhibited and published. He is known for photographing communities usually hostile to outsiders.
Robert Doisneau was a French photographer. From the 1930s, he photographed the streets of Paris. He was a champion of humanist photography and with Henri Cartier-Bresson a pioneer of photojournalism.
Doisneau is known for his 1950 image Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville (The Kiss by the City Hall), a photograph of a couple kissing on a busy Parisian street.
He was appointed a Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honour in 1984 by then French president, François Mitterrand.
William Eggleston is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition for color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include William Eggleston's Guide (1976) and The Democratic Forest (1989).
Alfred Eisenstaedt was a German-born American photographer and photojournalist. He is best known for his work as a staff photographer for Life magazine, where he captured iconic images of celebrities, politicians, and everyday people.
Eisenstaedt began his career as a photographer in Germany, working for the Pacific and Atlantic Photos agency in Berlin in the 1920s. He emigrated to the United States in 1935 and joined the staff of Life magazine in 1936, where he remained until the magazine ceased publication in 1972.
Eisenstaedt's images are notable for their candid, spontaneous feel and their ability to capture the essence of his subjects. He is perhaps best known for his photograph "V-J Day in Times Square," which depicts a sailor kissing a nurse in celebration of the end of World War II. The image has become one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.
Throughout his career, Eisenstaedt photographed many of the most famous and influential people of his time, including Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and John F. Kennedy. His work has been exhibited in major museums around the world, and he received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the field of photography.
Elsa and Johanna are a creative duo of photographic artists and filmmakers.
They were finalists for Prix HSBC pour la photographie 2016 and won the second Prix Picto de la mode 2017.
The duo's clients include well-known publications such as Le Temps, Boycott Magazine, L'Express 10, Crash Magazine, Etro, Boucheron and Apple.
Mitchell Epstein is an American fine-art photographer, among the first to make significant use of color.
Epstein's work has been exhibited and published extensively in the United States and Europe, and collected by numerous major museums, including New York's Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Tate Modern in London.
Elliott Erwitt is a French-born American advertising and documentary photographer known for his black and white candid photos of ironic and absurd situations within everyday settings. He has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1953.
Walker Evans was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans' work from the FSA period uses the large-format, 8×10-inch (200×250 mm) view camera. He said that his goal as a photographer was to make pictures that are "literate, authoritative, transcendent".
Many of his works are in the permanent collections of museums and have been the subject of retrospectives at such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the George Eastman Museum.
Louis Faurer was an American candid or street photographer. He was a quiet artist who never achieved the broad public recognition that his best-known contemporaries did; however, the significance and caliber of his work were lauded by insiders, among them Robert Frank, William Eggleston, and Edward Steichen, who included his work in the Museum of Modern Art exhibitions In and Out of Focus (1948) and The Family of Man (1955).
T. Lux Feininger, a German-American artist. He was known for his multifaceted talents as a painter, avant-garde photographer, author, and art teacher. His artistic journey began at the Bauhaus in Dessau, where he studied under influential figures like Josef Albers, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. Feininger was also a member of the Bauhaus Band and had his first solo show in Manhattan in 1937.
T. Lux Feininger's work explored various subjects, including transportation and self-portraits, and he continued to paint in a semi-abstract prismatic style influenced by his father, Lyonel Feininger, and Wassily Kandinsky throughout his life. In addition to painting, he also pursued photography, focusing on transportation subjects and Manhattan street scenes, although he did not exhibit these later photographs.
T. Lux Feininger's contribution to art education was significant, teaching at prestigious institutions like Sarah Lawrence College, Harvard's Fogg Museum, and the School of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. His written works include several books, notably one about his father and another reflecting on his life between the Bauhaus and America.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Feininger's work represents a unique blend of Bauhaus influence and individual exploration. To stay informed about exhibitions and news related to T. Lux Feininger's works, subscribing to updates from art galleries and museums is recommended.
Arthur (Usher) Fellig, known by his pseudonym Weegee, was a photographer and photojournalist, known for his stark black and white street photography in New York City.
Weegee worked in Manhattan's Lower East Side as a press photographer during the 1930s and 1940s and developed his signature style by following the city's emergency services and documenting their activity. Much of his work depicted unflinchingly realistic scenes of urban life, crime, injury and death. Weegee published photographic books and also worked in cinema, initially making his own short films and later collaborating with film directors such as Jack Donohue and Stanley Kubrick.
Robert Frank was a Swiss photographer and documentary filmmaker, who became an American binational. His most notable work, the 1958 book titled The Americans, earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and nuanced outsider's view of American society. Critic Sean O'Hagan, writing in The Guardian in 2014, said The Americans "changed the nature of photography, what it could say and how it could say it. it remains perhaps the most influential photography book of the 20th century." Frank later expanded into film and video and experimented with manipulating photographs and photomontage.
LaToya Ruby Frazier is an American visual artist, renowned for her profound work that delves into social justice, cultural change, and the American experience. Born in 1982 in Braddock, Pennsylvania, Frazier utilizes various media, including photography, video, and performance, to explore themes of industrialism, environmental justice, and human rights. Her art, deeply rooted in collaborative storytelling, often portrays her family and community, offering a lens into the lived experiences of working-class families amid societal and environmental challenges.
Her notable series "The Notion of Family" explores her family's life in Braddock, revealing the impacts of industrial decline on the community and environment. This work not only highlights LaToya Ruby Frazier's personal narrative but also serves as a broader commentary on race, class, and the American industrial landscape. Her commitment to social documentation is further exemplified in projects like "Flint is Family," where she immersed herself in Flint, Michigan, to document the water crisis's impact on local families.
LaToya Ruby Frazier's exhibitions span across prestigious venues in the US and Europe, reflecting her influence and recognition in the art world. Her works are part of esteemed collections like The Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Frazier's accolades include a MacArthur Fellowship, demonstrating her significant contributions to contemporary art and social activism.
For art collectors and experts, Frazier's work offers a compelling intersection of art, activism, and storytelling, providing insightful perspectives on pressing social issues through the lens of personal and community narratives.
To stay informed about LaToya Ruby Frazier's work and related updates, including new product sales and auction events, subscribing to updates is a valuable opportunity for enthusiasts and collectors alike to engage with her impactful artistry and advocacy.
David Goldblatt was a South African photographer noted for his portrayal of South Africa during the period of apartheid. After apartheid had ended he concentrated more on the country's landscapes. What differentiates Goldblatt's body of work from those of other anti-apartheid artists is that he photographed issues that went beyond the violent events of apartheid and reflected the conditions that led up to them.
Romuald Hazoumé, or Romuald Hutzoumck, is one of Africa's leading artists and winner of the Arnold Bode Prize (Germany). He was awarded the prize for his installation "Dream," a replica of a ship transporting economic migrants from Africa to Europe made of canisters. In his art he mostly uses old gasoline cans. Hazume also creates oil paintings, large-scale installations, videos, and photographs.
Walde Huth, née Waldberta Huth, is a German photographer known for her street photos and portraits of famous people and fashion models.
She graduated from the State School of Applied Arts in Weimar, and after World War II she became a freelance photographer doing portrait and art photography. Walde Huth is primarily known for her fashion shots of the '50s, she also took unique stills and advertising photos, and created portraits of famous contemporaries. Her iconic fashion shots were taken in Paris. She shot the most famous models of her time not in the studio, but on location in the city, in front of the Eiffel Tower, along the Seine River, in contrast to the architecture and street life.
Walde Huth was an exceptional woman, a creative artist and a versatile photographer.
William Klein was an American-born French photographer and filmmaker noted for his ironic approach to both media and his extensive use of unusual photographic techniques in the context of photojournalism and fashion photography. He was ranked 25th on Professional Photographer's list of 100 most influential photographers.
Klein trained as a painter, studying under Fernand Léger, and found early success with exhibitions of his work. He soon moved on to photography and achieved widespread fame as a fashion photographer for Vogue and for his photo essays on various cities. He directed feature-length fiction films, numerous short and feature-length documentaries and produced over 250 television commercials.
Helga Kneidl, née Claus, is a German photographer.
Helga worked as a dancer in her youth and married stage designer Karl Kneidl in 1961. She then learned theater photography in Zurich and worked in theaters as a staff photographer. Helga Kneidl gradually gained a reputation for taking portraits of many famous people, and her work was published in newspapers and magazines.
In May 1973, Helga Kneidl spent three full days with actress Romy Schneider in Paris, taking a series of photographic portraits of her.
Since 1997, Helga Kneidl lives in Berlin and works mainly in portrait photography.
Dorothea Lange (born Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn) was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Lange's photographs influenced the development of documentary photography and humanized the consequences of the Great Depression.
Saul Leiter was an American photographer and fashion photographer, one of the pioneers of what was later called the New York School of Photographers in the 1940s and 1950s.
Saul Leiter began doing color and black-and-white street photography in New York City in the 1940s. He had no formal training in photography, but the genius of his early work was quickly recognized. His main subjects were street scenes and his small circle of friends. Leiter made a huge and unique contribution to photography during his prolific period in New York in the 1950s. His abstract forms and radically innovative compositions have a painterly quality that stands out among the work of his New York School contemporaries. His sense of color and densely compressed urban life represents a truly unique vision of those times. Leiter is now considered a pioneer of early color photography and is noted as one of the outstanding figures in postwar photography.
For 20 years Leiter also worked as a fashion photographer and was published in leading fashion magazines.
Zoe Leonard is an American artist who works primarily with photography and sculpture. She has exhibited widely since the late 1980s and her work has been included in a number of seminal exhibitions including Documenta IX and Documenta XII, and the 1993, 1997 and 2014 Whitney biennials. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2020.
Helen Levitt was an American photographer known for her street photography of New York City. Levitt began taking photographs as a teenager and went on to work for the photo agency, the Photo League, in the 1930s and 1940s.
Levitt's work focused on capturing the daily lives of ordinary people, particularly children, in the neighborhoods of New York City. She used a small 35mm camera to take candid shots of children playing in the streets, creating images that were both playful and poignant. Her work was often compared to the work of fellow street photographers, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Walker Evans.
In addition to her photography, Levitt also worked as a filmmaker and created several acclaimed documentaries.
Levitt's photographs have been exhibited in major museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She was awarded numerous honors for her work, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Grant.
Danny Lyon is an American photographer and filmmaker.
All of Lyon's publications work in the style of photographic New Journalism, meaning that the photographer has become immersed in with, and is a participant of, the documented subject. He is the founding member of the publishing group Bleak Beauty.
After being accepted as the photographer for Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Lyon was present at almost all of the major historical events during the Civil Rights Movement.
Joel Meyerowitz is an American street, portrait and landscape photographer and a pioneer of color photography. He lives and works in New York and London.
Meyerowitz became interested in color photography in 1962, when color photography was not yet considered serious art. There have been documentaries about him, and he is the author of 43 books, including one on the art of photography. Meyerowitz was the only photographer who received official permission to photograph the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.
Meyerowitz continues to be an inspiration and a leader in photography today.
Lisette Model was an Austrian-born photographer who became known for her work in the United States in the mid-20th century. She was began her artistic career as a pianist before turning to photography.
Model's photographic style was characterized by her use of high-contrast black and white images and her interest in capturing the grit and energy of urban life. She often photographed people on the margins of society, such as street vendors, beggars, and nightclub performers, and her images were marked by a sense of empathy and intimacy with her subjects.
In addition to her work as a photographer, Model was also a teacher, and she taught photography at the New School for Social Research in New York City for many years. Her students included Diane Arbus and Bruce Weber, among others, and she was known for her direct and often challenging approach to teaching.
Model's work has had a significant impact on the field of photography, and her legacy continues to inspire new generations of artists. Her photographs are prized for their emotional intensity and their ability to capture the complexities of human experience, and she is remembered as one of the most important photographers of the 20th century.
Tina Modotti (born Assunta Adelaide Luigia Modotti Mondini) was an Italian American photographer, model, actor, and revolutionary political activist for the Comintern. She left Italy in 1913 and moved to the United States, where she settled in San Francisco with her father and sister. In San Francisco, Modotti worked as a model and, later, as a photographer. In 1922 she moved to Mexico, where she became an active member of the Mexican Communist Party.
Daidō Moriyama (Japanese: 森山 大道) is a Japanese photographer best known for his black-and-white street photography and association with the avant-garde photography magazine Provoke. Moriyama’s rough, unfettered photographic style makes use of sharply tilted angles, grainy textures, harsh contrasts, and blurred movements to capture the rawness of human experience as seen through the photographer’s wandering gaze. Many of his well-known works from the 1960s and 1970s are read through the lenses of post-war reconstruction and post-Occupation cultural upheaval.
Benjamin Shahn, also known as Ben (Ben / Benjamin Shahn) — Lithuanian-born American artist and photographer. He combined a decorative style of imagery with poignant social themes in his works and is considered one of the most prominent critical artists in the United States. His photographs made him famous as a chronicler of life in New York's working-class and black Southern American communities, as well as the slums of big cities. Many of his street photographs were later used in his paintings and wall panels. He also used newspaper photographs in his work.
Shan's work can be found in many US museums, including the Wichita Museum of Art.
Shaweesh is a contemporary painter from Saudi Arabia. Shaweesh is a mixed-media artist who articulates the cultural diffusions between Saudi Arabia and the global community throughout history, measuring this intercultural dialogue through both visual arts and digital design. With the onset of the internet age, Shaweesh began using the web as a gateway into a new inspiration, as he incoroporated Pop Art and Western-branded graphics into his creations. In his newest series, he superimposes US cultural symbols ranging from Captain America to Darth Vader onto famous historical events. Growing up watching Western cartoons as a child while visiting his friends’ houses, he has incorporated this childlike humor into his work. While visiting street vendors in Riyadh, he bought old newspapers dating back to key years referring to Western and Saudi foreign relations. Evolving into a satirical harmony by addressing Saudi historical narratives, he then digitally incorporates cartoon heroes whose personas range from leaders, mentors and organizers, as they correlate to the initiatives raised at these historical events.
Alec Soth is an American photographer. He is known for his large-format color photographs that often explore the themes of American life, culture, and landscape.
Soth began his career as a newspaper photographer before transitioning to fine art photography. He gained recognition for his project "Sleeping by the Mississippi," which features photographs of people and places along the Mississippi River.
Throughout his career, Soth has continued to produce photographic projects that explore various aspects of American life, from small towns to suburban communities. He has also published several books of his work, including "Songbook," "Broken Manual," and "I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating."
Soth's work has been exhibited widely and is included in the collections of many major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has also received numerous awards and honors for his photography, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography, and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.
Alfred Stieglitz was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz was known for the New York art galleries that he ran in the early part of the 20th century, where he introduced many avant-garde European artists to the U.S. He was married to painter Georgia O'Keeffe.
Dennis Stock was an American photographer known for his iconic images of celebrities and musicians, as well as his extensive coverage of social issues and cultural events.
Stock began his career as a freelance photographer in the 1950s and was soon hired by the Magnum Photos agency, where he worked alongside other influential photographers such as Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson. He quickly became known for his photographs of jazz musicians, including Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington.
In 1955, Stock received an assignment from LIFE magazine to photograph a young actor named James Dean. The resulting images, including a now-famous photograph of Dean walking through Times Square in the rain, became some of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.
Stock continued to photograph celebrities and cultural figures throughout his career, including Audrey Hepburn, Marlon Brando, and Andy Warhol. He also covered major events such as the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the Woodstock music festival.
Stock's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world and has been the subject of several books and documentaries. He was known for his ability to capture intimate moments and his talent for revealing the personalities and emotions of his subjects through his photographs.
Beat Streuli is a Swiss visual artist who works with photo and video based media.
His photographs, videos and window installations have been exhibited in galleries and museums internationally. Permanent installations of his work include those at the Lufthansa Aviation Center, Frankfurt Airport, Germany, the ETH University, Zurich, Switzerland, the Style Company Building, Osaka, Japan, and the immigration hall of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, USA.
Josef Sudek was a Czech photographer known for his poetic images of Prague and its surroundings. He initially studied bookbinding before becoming interested in photography.
Sudek is known for his use of the large format camera, which allowed him to create highly detailed and nuanced images. He often photographed still lifes, landscapes, and architecture, but his most iconic images are his atmospheric images of Prague, which he captured over the course of several decades.
Sudek's photography is characterized by its emphasis on light, shadow, and texture, and his images often have a dreamlike or poetic quality. He also experimented with different printing techniques, including platinum printing, which gave his photographs a soft and velvety texture.
Despite facing numerous challenges throughout his life, including losing an arm in World War I and facing political persecution during the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Today, he is considered one of the most important photographers of the 20th century, and his work is held in major collections around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Gallery in Prague.
Jeff Wall is a renowned Canadian artist, celebrated for his large-scale backlit Cibachrome photographs and insightful art history writings. His artistic journey began in the late 1970s, creating images that balance between painting and photography, often resembling movie stills in their complexity and narrative depth. Wall's unique approach involves elaborate setups with actors, sets, and post-production, akin to single-frame movies, leading to works that demand viewers' attention similar to paintings or films.
His seminal piece, "Picture for Women" (1979), reflects his deep engagement with art history, referencing Édouard Manet's "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère" and exploring themes like the male gaze within a contemporary context. Another notable work, "A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai)" (1993), showcases Wall's digital montage technique, combining numerous photographs to create a seamless image that reimagines a 19th-century Japanese print in a modern setting.
Jeff Wall's transition to using digital technology in the 1990s allowed him to merge various negatives into a coherent whole, pushing the boundaries of traditional photography. His works, often displayed as transparencies on lightboxes, introduce a novel way of experiencing photographic art, blending narrative depth with meticulous attention to detail.
For art collectors and experts, Jeff Wall's work represents a profound intersection of photography, cinema, and painting, offering a rich field for exploration and appreciation. His pieces, found in major museums and galleries worldwide, continue to influence and inspire discussions in the realms of art and photography.
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Sabine Weiss is a Swiss artist and photographer who became known for her street photography and portraits. In 1942 she moved to Zurich to study photography with Hans Finsler, where she met her future husband, the American artist Hugh Weiss.
After the Second World War, Weiss moved to Paris and began working as a freelance photographer. She became associated with the humanist photography movement, which sought to capture the daily lives of people in cities. Weiss' photographs often focused on working class neighbourhoods, street scenes and children's lives. Her photographs were known for their sensitivity and empathy as well as her strong sense of composition and use of light.
Weiss's work was exhibited widely throughout her life and she received numerous awards and prizes, including the Niepce Prize in 1955 and the Grand Prix National Photography Award in 1995. Her photographs have been collected by major museums and institutions around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris.