This major retrospective exhibition includes a wide selection of Newman’s portraits in the form of vintage prints, along with the occasional work print. Many of these prints are being exhibited for the first time.
Famous sitters range from painters, writers, and musicians to businessmen, bankers, and leaders of industry, and include Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Marc Chagall, J.F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Pablo Picasso, and Igor Stravinsky. Newman is often credited with being the first photographer to use so-called environmental portraiture, in which the photographer places the subject in a carefully controlled space of his choosing.
Arnold Newman (1918-2006) was one of the most productive, creative, and successful portrait photographers of the twentieth century. For sixty-six years he applied himself to his art and craft, and was recognised by regular publication in the most influential magazines of the day, major solo exhibitions, and appearances in many of the world’s most prestigious photography collections.
According to Todd Brandow, Executive Director of FEP: “Newman was a great teacher, and he loved sharing his knowledge. He was blunt but direct, mitigating tough criticism with good-natured banter. He had principles in which he deeply believed, and he seems to have known how to impart them. Thankfully he gave many interviews, which have been transcribed, and what he had to say was consistent in its essentials from the first to the last. It was these “lessons” that led us to the concept of “Masterclass”; the idea that, even posthumously, Arnold Newman could go on teaching all of us – whether connoisseurs or neophytes – a great deal.”
Arnold Newman: MasterClass The exhibition was curated by William A. Ewing, former director of the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne.
This exhibition has been organised by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP), Minneapolis and Lausanne.
FEP wishes to acknowledge the help of Howard Greenberg, Ronald Kurtz, Ken Widder, and Arnold Newman’s sons, Eric and David Newman.
The exhibition is supported by Lithuanian Council for Culture.
