Showing posts with label Georgia O'Keeffe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Georgia O'Keeffe. Show all posts

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Tony Vaccaro exhibit "American Icons" in The NY Times 36 Hours in Phoenix

 Via The New York Times

February 15, 2024


36 Hours in Phoenix


To delve deeper into Wright’s local legacy, drive about half an hour into the Scottsdale desert to Taliesin West, his secluded, light-filled winter home and workspace set on almost 500 acres in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains. Snoop around his desk, where casually strewn are his 1956 blueprints for the first floor of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in that unmistakable nautilus spiral. Also see the onsite “American Icons” exhibition (through June 3) — a look at the parallel and intersecting lives of Wright and the artist Georgia O’Keeffe, who were born 60 miles apart, met once, corresponded for years, and were chronicled separately by the same photographer (Tony Vaccaro). Book an hourlong self-guided audio tour, from $39, (first start time, 11:20 a.m). There are also 90-minute guided tours, from $49 (first start time, 10:40 a.m.).

Monday, October 23, 2023

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Taliesin West | Tony Vaccaro: American Icons: Wright & O’Keeffe, October 20, 2023 – June 3, 2024

 Via Musee Art Out

October 20, 2023


Graphic with 2 black and white portraits by Tony Vaccaro: close up of Franl Lloyd Wright in Taliesin, Wisconsin, 1957 and close up of Georgia O'keefe in back seat of car wearing a wide brim hat, Taos Peupble, New Mexico, 1960
 Frank Lloyd Wright, Wisconsin, 1957/Georgia O'Keeffe, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, 1960



Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Taliesin West | Tony Vaccaro: American Icons: Wright & O’Keeffe, October 20, 2023 – June 3, 2024


Following the massive success of the “Chihuly In The Desert” exhibition in 2022, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation continues to explore the ways that Wright connects with other iconic artists of his time through unique exhibitions at Taliesin West. As the latest iteration, the World Heritage Site will debut an exclusive “American Icons: Wright and O’Keeffe” exhibition this fall, offering guests the opportunity to view photographs of Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O’Keeffe – two legends of American art and architecture – taken by Michael A. “Tony” Vaccaro while on assignment for LOOK Magazine from 1957 to 1960, including some never-before-seen images.

“Wright and O’Keeffe are seen as giants in their fields but are rarely connected. Many are unaware that the pair met in 1942 and had a mutual admiration for one another’s work for many years, whilst sharing other similarities including their birthplace of rural Wisconsin; careers that took them to New York, Chicago and Japan; dwellings in the Southwest; and finding inspiration in nature for their creations of abstract versions of the world in their art. By sharing stories around their connections, the Foundation aims to contribute to a larger narrative about artists in America – they do not all work in isolation; rather, they inspire one another and find ways to connect through friendship.”




For more information visit Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

Saturday, October 14, 2023

Never-Before-Seen Photos of Frank Lloyd Wright & Georgia O’Keeffe to Debut at Taliesin West This Friday, October 20

 




Via The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation


Never-Before-Seen Photos of Frank Lloyd Wright & Georgia O’Keeffe to Debut at Taliesin West’s “American Icons: Wright and O’Keeffe” Exhibition Starting Friday, October 20, 2023

Curated by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the Exhibition Will Treat Guests to an Intimate, Behind-The-Scenes Look Into the Lives & Similarities of Two Artistic, American Legends



SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  – Following the massive success of the “Chihuly In The Desert” exhibition in 2022, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation continues to explore the ways that Wright connects with other iconic artists of his time through unique exhibitions at Taliesin West. As the latest iteration, the World Heritage Site will debut an exclusive “American Icons: Wright and O’Keeffe” exhibition this fall, offering guests the opportunity to view photographs of Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O’Keeffe – two legends of American art and architecture – taken by Michael A. “Tony” Vaccaro while on assignment for LOOK Magazine from 1957 to 1960, including some never-before-seen images.

The exhibition, curated by the Foundation in partnership with the Tony Vaccaro Studio in Long Island City, N.Y., and the Monroe Gallery in Santa Fe, N.M, renowned for its unrivaled vault of historic photography, will present a behind-the-scenes, intimate visual pairing of Wright and O’Keeffe in their homes and studios. Through Vaccaro’s images and excerpts from LOOK, the exhibition - on display in the Dining Room at Taliesin West - will offer a closer look into the similar lives of the two American geniuses, how they inspired one another and how their Modernist principles continue to inspire the public today. Tickets for the exhibition, which will run from Oct. 20, 2023, to June 3, 2024, will be included with an audio or guided tour purchase.

Wright and O’Keeffe are seen as giants in their fields but are rarely connected. Many are unaware that the pair met in 1942 and had a mutual admiration for one another’s work for many years, whilst sharing other similarities including their birthplace of rural Wisconsin; careers that took them to New York, Chicago and Japan; dwellings in the Southwest; and finding inspiration in nature for their creations of abstract versions of the world in their art. By sharing stories around their connections, the Foundation aims to contribute to a larger narrative about artists in America – they do not all work in isolation; rather, they inspire one another and find ways to connect through friendship.

“Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O’Keeffe are American Icons. Their legacies are larger-than-life, and their names are known worldwide. What’s lesser known is their connection; they met in person in the 1940s and corresponded over the years, sharing ideas, and exchanging gifts,” said Niki Stewart, exhibition curator and vice president and chief learning & engagement officer for the Foundation. “In this exhibition, we explore that connection through the intimate photographs of Tony Vaccaro, from their shared start in Wisconsin to the homes and studios they built in the American Southwest. I’m excited to bring Wright and O’Keeffe together again through these beautiful photographs.”

Vaccaro’s photos of Wright and O’Keeffe have visual symmetry, which is why they will be displayed in pairs. By partnering with the Monroe Gallery--Tony Vaccaro’s exclusive representation--the Foundation has access to many photographs not shown to the public previously. Through the exhibition, guests will not only learn about the relationship between Wright and O’Keeffe, but also about Vaccaro’s long and impressive career.

“Working with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation affords Monroe Gallery the opportunity to place Tony Vaccaro’s iconic portraits of American Modernist Masters, Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O’Keeffe, together in conversation with the visitors to Taliesin West. Surrounded by the grace of Wright’s architecture, O’Keeffe and Wright as Tony Vaccaro understood them are reunited within their century’s glorious creative context,” said Monroe Gallery owners Michelle and Sid Monroe.



For the most up-to-date information on the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, to donate or to become a member, visit FrankLloydWright.org.

About the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, established by Wright in 1940, is dedicated to preserving Taliesin and Taliesin West, both on the UNESCO World Heritage List, for future generations, and inspiring people to discover and embrace an architecture for better living through meaningful connections to nature, the arts, and each other. The Foundation continues the Frank Lloyd Wright legacy by broadening access to his ideas, works, and organic design principles — considered just as relevant today as in his own time — and provides new pathways for audiences to create beauty and connectedness in their own lives. Conveniently located 20 minutes north of historic Old Town Scottsdale, Taliesin West was recently named among the top 10% of attractions worldwide by TripAdvisor. Visit FrankLloydWright.org for more information on tour schedules, cultural and educational experiences, and events. To shop the latest Wright-inspired home, design, and lifestyle products, visit FrankLloydWrightStore.com.



MEDIA CONTACTS:

Savannah Kirmis / 480-626-1671 / Savannah@JLaurenPR.com

Rachel Eroh / 928-231-0112 / Rachel@JLaurenPR.com


 


Wednesday, September 20, 2023

IN CONVERSATION ONLINE – Frank Vaccaro on Tony Vaccaro

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation graphic - white text on orange background


 Via Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

 Taliesin West

October 5, 2023


Explore the Life and Lens of Legendary Photographer Tony Vaccaro!


Michael A. “Tony” Vaccaro (1922 – 2022), was an American photographer perhaps best known for his World War II photos. After the war, he became a fashion and lifestyle photographer for American magazines, capturing the joys and beauties of the world we live in. He lived to be 100 years old.

Join us on October 5, 2023, for an exclusive online conversation with Tony Vaccaro’s son, Frank. He will share invaluable insights into his father’s remarkable legacy and unveil his father’s captivating story. We’ll delve deep into Tony’s early career, the different chapters of his life, and get unique insights into his time with O’Keeffe and Wright ahead of the debut of American Icons: Wright & O’Keeffe at Taliesin West opening on October 20.

Details:

Links for virtual programs will be sent via email in advance.
If you have any questions about Cultural Programs at Taliesin West, please refer to our FAQ.  

Time:
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Online

Price:
Adults $25
Students (13-25 with student ID) $17
Members $22.50

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Members receive discounts on Cultural Programs, have access to special Member-Only programs, and more. Learn about Membership here.

BUY TICKETS


Frank Vaccaro is the eldest child of photographer Michael A. “Tony” Vaccaro and Marimekko model Anja Kyllikki Lehto. He was born in Rome, Italy, in 1965 while his father was on assignment. Frank came of age surrounded by the stories and images that make up the Tony Vaccaro collection of photographs. After graduating Stony Brook University in 1988, Frank managed bars and restaurants in New York City before joining Pepsi Cola in 1994. For the last eighteen years, Frank has been the elected representative for over 150 unionized workers there.

At his father’s request, Frank and his wife Maria created and launched the Tony Vaccaro Studio in 2015. The studio organizes over 800,000 images, and partners with the Monroe Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Upon Tony Vaccaro’s passing last year, Frank and his wife created the Tony Vaccaro Archive in Long Island City, Queens.






Thursday, January 26, 2023

A show celebrating acclaimed photographer Tony Vaccaro at Santa Fe’s Monroe Gallery of Photography (112 Don Gaspar) can be viewed for five more days—through Jan. 29

 Via The Santa Fe Reporter

January 25, 2023


Honoring Vaccaro


Speaking of countdowns, a show celebrating acclaimed photographer Tony Vaccaro at Santa Fe’s Monroe Gallery of Photography (112 Don Gaspar) can be viewed for five more days—through Jan. 29. Monroe mounted two exhibitions—here and a New York pop-up last month—to honor Vaccaro’s 100th birthday; the photographer died on Dec. 28, just eight days after his centennial, which he celebrated in New York with friends at a surprise birthday dinner. 

A New York Times obituary recounts how Vaccaro became a war photographer in World War II—also the subject of a 2016 HBO documentary. After the war, he transitioned and began to make fashion, travel and celebrity photographs for the country’s leading magazines. 

Those celebrities included Georgia O’Keeffe, whom Life magazine assigned Vaccaro to photograph in 1960. O’Keeffe expected a more famous photographer and at first refused to pose: “To win her over, Mr. Vaccaro cooked a meal and made a picnic lunch. When the weather turned too windy for the picnic, he gave her a plate of Swiss cheese as she sat in the back of his car. And when she playfully peered through a hole in a piece of the cheese, Mr. Vaccaro went into action,” the obituary reads. His other famous subjects included John F. Kennedy, Pablo Picasso and Sophie Loren, to name a few. 

This quote from Vaccaro accompanies Monroe’s information on the exhibition: “We call each other German, French, Italian. There is no Italian blood. There is no French blood. It’s human blood. On this Earth there is one humanity. Let’s do something about it. Let’s live! In a way, photography was my way of telling the world, ‘We have better things to do than to kill ourselves.’”

Friday, October 21, 2022

Public guided tour of the exhibition Tony Vaccaro 100! at the Museum of Photography Braunschweig

Via Museum of Photography Braunschweig


Tony Vaccaro 100!  Public guided tour

Sunday, 23.10.2022, 4 pm

Admission: 3,50€ / 2 €

black and white photograph of Georgia O'Keefe inside a car holding a piece of Swiss cheese up to her eye

Tony Vaccaro, 'Georgia O'Keeffe with Cheese, New Mexico, 1960' © Tony Vaccaro Studio, Courtesy of Monroe Gallery of Photography and the Tony Vaccaro Studio


In a public guided tour, the extensive work of the almost 100-year-old Tony Vaccaro will be presented.

Both the photographs he took during his time in World War 2 as a US soldier in the last years

of the war and his later works as a portrait photographer of the art and culture scene in the USA and

Europe are discussed.

More information here


Tony Vaccaro: The Centennial Exhibition: New York - Santa Fe

Monday, April 11, 2022

Photographs by Tony Vaccaro in "O’Keeffe in the Landscape" Exhibition Opening April 19

 Via The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

April 19, 2022 - April 11, 2023


Geogia O'Keefe in New Mexico landscape by rock formation known as "smokestack"



Tony Vaccaro: O'Keeffe and "the Smokestack", 1960

Portrait of O'Keeffe walking at the base of the "smoke stack" at "the White Place;" she is dressed in a black wrap dress, her Hector Aguilar belt, and a white broad-brimmed hat, landscape of white limestone cliffs, spires, and Hoodoos.


While living in New Mexico, Georgia O’Keeffe’s relationship with nature deepened as she spent extended amounts of time in the landscape, exploring the rivers, canyons, and painted cliffs that made up her surroundings during numerous camping and day trips. As a result, O’Keeffe created hundreds of paintings and drawings inspired by nature. O’Keeffe in the Landscape explores these excursions through the photography of her friends and the personal effects she brought with her on her trips, including camping gear and clothing. The exhibition will be on view at The O’Keeffe Welcome Center in Abiquiú, New Mexico from April 19, 2022 through April 11, 2023. The exhibition is free and open to the general public.


The O’Keeffe Welcome Center is the starting point for tours of The O’Keeffe  Home & Studio. While The O’Keeffe Welcome Center is free and open to the public, tours of The O’Keeffe Home & Studio require advanced reservations which can be made here.

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

"Life Is Wonderfull" showcases the life's work of 98-year-old top photographer Tony Vaccaro from World War II to fashion and art

 

Via YLE (translated from Finnish)

June 13, 2021

BY STINA  ALAPIRTTI


Art Hall's summer exhibition is about war, love and Marimekko – a 98-year-old American photographer dreamed of an exhibition in Finland for a long time

The exhibition, called Life Is Wonderful, showcases the life's work of 98-year-old top photographer Tony Vaccaro from World War II to fashion and art. There are also plenty of pictures of Finland and Marimekko in the 1960s.


color photograph of Merimekko models with umbrellas


Tony Vaccaro came to Finland to film Marimekko for LIFE magazine in 1965. He photographed both Marimekko's fashion in Porvoo and Helsinki, as in this photo, and the fashion house's behind-the-scenes activities. Photo: Tony Vaccaro / Art Hall
Helsinki Art Hall is a life of history in itself, but photographs from the middle of the 20th century bring a new layer to it. In the photographs, world stars, soldiers and models come to life for a moment, as if there were small windows to the past on the walls. One room is dedicated entirely to Marimekko, who turns 70 this year.
Photographer Tony Vaccaro's exhibition will be on display at the Helsinki Art Hall during the summer Life is wonderful. Vaccaro is a 98-year-old American-Italian photographer who began his career filming on the front in World War II. He still works even though he retired officially as early as the 1980s.

Exhibition Manager Eeva Holkeri from The Art Hall of Helsinki says that Vaccaro has wanted to get the exhibition to Finland for a long time. Life is wonderful is his first extensive exhibition here.

"Vaccaro has a connection to Finland through his late wife Anja Vaccaro, but also through Marimekko. The gallery representing Vaccaro was asked if such an exhibition would succeed," Holkeri says.

Anja Vaccaro was related to Lehto. The photographer and Lehto, who worked as Marimekko's model, fell in love on the set of Marimekko.

Vaccaro's studio is now run by Vaccaro and Lehto's son Frank Vaccaro and his wife. 

The exhibition contains 130 photographs from Vaccaro's nearly 80-year career. According to Holker, the demarcation was a challenging task, but at present the exhibition creates a comprehensive picture of Vaccaro's production from the 1940s until the 1970s.

The pictures will be available at the Helsinki Art Hall in Töölö on 8 May. Until 18 August.
Eeva Holker, in front of a Tony Vaccaro photograph

According to exhibition manager Eeva Holker, the Life is Wonderful exhibition shows a cross-section of Vaccaro's entire production. In the background, a fashion photo taken by Vaccaro. 
Photo: Terhi Liimu / Yle

Tough background

Michael "Tony" Vaccaro was born in 1922 in Pennsylvania, USA to immigrant parents from Italy. The family soon moved back to Italy, where they were met with great grief. Both parents passed away and Tony Vaccaro was orphaned at the age of four. Her sister was put in an orphanage, and little Tony was brought to her uncle's farm to be raised by her grandmother and uncle. Uncle abused Tony, who also had to work on the farm.
 
Tony Vaccaro left for the United States at the age of just 17, in the run-up to World War II in 1939. The departure was partly influenced by the fascism that invaded Italy. In the United States, Vaccaro went to high school and joined the army. He was sent to the front in 1944.

Vaccaro was interested in photography at school and bought his first camera in 1942. In the war, he was sent to the front line, and Vaccaro took about 8,000 photographs in the midst of the war. After the war ended, he stayed in Europe to photograph the trail and reconstruction of the war and returned to the United States in 1949.
black and white photograph of american soldiers celebrating in Nice, France, 1947
Vaccaro fought in World War II and stayed after peace came to describe the reconstruction of Europe. This picture is from Nice, France dating back to 1947. Photo: Tony Vaccaro / Art Hall


Although the first half of Vaccaro's life was fraught with difficulties, even war, according to Eeva Holker, she has still maintained a bright attitude to life and a quest for beauty.

"Even though Vaccaro started his career in The Second World War, his pictures show hope, joy and a glimpse of positivity. It seems justified to say that Vaccaro's attitude to life is that life is wonderful," Holkeri says.

Celebrity photographer

Vaccaro is especially well known as a fashion and lifestyle photographer. He filmed for several of the most important US period publications of that time, such as Life and Harper's Bazaar. The exhibition features pictures he took of public figures from the 1960s and 1970s, including Pablo Picasso, Muhammad Ali, Leonard Cohen, Jackson Pollock and Sophia Loren.
Georgia O'Keeffe holding her "Pelvis series" painting outdoors
A picture taken by Vaccaro of artist Georgia O' Keeffe in front of her work. Vaccaro spent a long time with Georgia O'Keeffe in New Mexico in 1960. Photo: Tony Vaccaro / Art Hall

A large part of the exhibition consists of pictures Vaccaro took of Marimekko's activities and fashion in 1965. Vaccaro came to Finland to describe Marimekko, who has become a phenomenon around the world, for Life magazine.

color photograph of Merimekko models on logs

Marimekko was founded in 1951 and became an international phenomenon in the 1960s. Vaccaro photographed a fashion house in Porvoo and Helsinki in 1965. The photo shows models in Marimekko's clothes. Photo: Tony Vaccaro / Art Hall


Vaccaro photographed Finnish models in Porvoo and Helsinki, and in the pictures Marimekko's colourful dresses glow against the rainy industrial landscape and the models play in Finnish nature and on the streets of Helsinki.The pictures also show Vaccaro's future wife at the time: Finnish model Anja Kyllikki Lehto. Lehto and Vaccaro had met in 1963 in New York on Marimekko's business trip, on which Vaccaro had photographed Lehto."It is said that it was love at first sight. When Tony saw Anja, she knew she never wanted to let this go. Pictures of Anja show love, Holkeri says.Vaccaro and Lehto were married until 1979. They had two sons together. Lehto died in 2013.


color photograph of Tony Vaccaro's wife, Anja, in front of Orange tree

This picture, called Anja and oranges, was shot in Ischia, Italy, in 1964. The photo shows Vaccaro's spouse Anja Kyllikki Lehto, later Vaccaro. Photo: Tony Vaccaro / Art Hall
View available original prints from Tony Vaccaro here

Sunday, January 3, 2021

Fighter with a camera: Renown photographer, who battled COVID-19, will celebrate turning 98 with a virtual show

 Via The Albuquerque Journal

By Kathaleen Roberts

January 3, 2021

man playing violin on street in Venice 1947
“The Violinist,” 1947, by Tony Vaccaro. Courtesy of Monroe Gallery


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Tony Vaccaro reigns as one of the few people to have battled both COVID-19 and the beaches of Normandy.

The photographer will celebrate his 98th birthday with a virtual show at Santa Fe’s Monroe Gallery of Photography through Jan. 17, at monroegallery.com.

Vaccaro contracted Covid early in the pandemic – in April. He spent two days in the hospital.

He couldn’t walk from room to room,” his daughter-in-law Maria said in a telephone interview from their home in Long Island City, New York. “He just stopped eating and had no energy.”

Vaccaro survived, despite a 103-degree fever.

“I am a runner,” he explained. “I’ve been running since I was a child.”


Peggy Guggenheim in a gondola in Venice, 1968

“Peggy Guggenheim, Venice, 1968” by Tony Vaccaro

Courtesy Monroe Gallery


He’s also a fighter who carried a camera from the invasion of Normandy through the reconstruction of Europe, capturing some of the most iconic images of World War II. Drafted at 21, he brought his 35mm Argus C-3 camera with him, spending the next 272 days photographing his personal witness to the carnage. He fought on the front lines, developing his photographs in combat helmets at night and hanging the negatives from tree branches.


Photographer Tony Vaccaro with Hasselblad camera

                              
Photographer Tony Vaccaro 

Photo by R. David Marks

“Normandy to Berlin was just tough,” he said, “because you could get killed any minute. I was in the infantry and in direct contact with the Germans.”

After the war, he remained in Europe, covering the rebuilding of Germany for Stars and Stripes. It was in Italy that he heard the strains of a violin coming from a narrow Venetian street.

“I was in Plaza San Marco in Venice,” he said. “And I had an idea of going into the small streets. So I go in and there was a violinist playing, of course, for people to throw down money. When I heard this violinist, it intrigued me. I went into the tiny streets of Venice and don’t you know, I had met him before in Rome.”

He captured his famous portrait of an American GI kneeling to kiss a little girl by accident. He came upon residents of St. Briac, France, singing and dancing in the streets after the 1944 liberation.


American soldier kissing a young girl in France after liberation, 1944

“Kiss of Liberation,” 1944, by Tony Vaccaro
Courtesy Monroe Gallery


“There were these people holding hands and singing a song in French,” Vaccaro said. “Here’s this GI who knows not one word of French. They put a handkerchief under the knees of the little girl. It’s the symbol of a carpet for ladies.”

It was the Handkerchief Dance.

When Vaccaro returned stateside, he worked as a commercial photographer for Look, Life, Harper’s Bazaar, Town and Country, Newsweek and more.

His portrait of the art patron Peggy Guggenheim features a hidden joke. On assignment to do a profile, he followed her to the Guggenheim Museum in Venice. A statue by the Italian sculptor Marino Marini guards the entrance.

“There’s a man on a horse and he’s naked and his penis was as long as half my arm,” Vaccaro said. “She had this habit of whenever she had new guests, she unscrewed it.”

Guggenheim expected a children’s tour group, so she unscrewed the phallus and hid it beneath her cloak. It’s concealed under the garment in Vaccaro’s picture of Guggenheim in the gondola.

“She didn’t want the children to see it,” he said.


Georgia O'Keeffe outside her home, Abiquiu, NM, 1960


“Georgia O’Keeffe, Abiquiú, New Mexico, 1960” by Tony Vaccaro

Courtesy Monroe Gallery


Vaccaro met Georgia O’Keeffe on assignment for Look magazine with art editor Charlotte Willard in Abiquiú in 1960.

The artist refused to speak to him for five days.

O’Keeffe had been expecting a different photographer, one of her favorites, such as Ansel Adams, Todd Webb or Richard Avedon. Trying his best to charm her, Vaccarro cooked the artist a steak and fixed her broken washing machine, to no avail.

“Georgia O’Keeffe at the very beginning didn’t want anything to do with me,” he said. “She didn’t even look at me. She had just left her husband.”


woman wearing hat resembling the Guggenheim museum in front of the Guggenheim Museum, NY, 1960


“Guggenheim Hat, New York, 1960” by Tony Vaccaro

Courtesy Monroe Gallery


Suddenly, the topic turned to bullfighting. Vaccaro mentioned he had photographed the great Spanish matador Manolete.

O’Keeffe pivoted to face him. She never looked at Willard again.

Vaccaro still works and goes for regular walks.

“I am shooting, but not as before,” he said. “Before it was survival. Somehow, I have an eye for what’s good before I can click it. I have seen so much that it is really an instinct.”

As for Covid, he said, “I have an idea that the body forgets what it doesn’t like.”



IF YOU GO

WHAT: “Tony Vaccaro at 98”

WHERE: Monroe Gallery of Photography, 112 Don Gaspar Ave., Santa Fe

WHEN: Through Jan. 17

CONTACT: monroegallery.com, 505-992-0800.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Bones to pick: Obscure items in the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

 

Via Pasatiempo

The Santa Fe New Mexican

September 25, 2020

Georgia O'Keeffe painting Pelvis Red with Yellow
Georgia O'Keeffe: Pelvis Series, Red with Yellow, 1945
©Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

...“I think, in particular, of the way she uses the pelvis bone,” (Museum Fellow Victoria) Plotek says. “It becomes a device she uses to frame her compositions. One of the centerpieces of her New Mexico paintings is a pelvis painting where the pelvis is sort of framing this oval of blue sky. It would be impossible for anyone to know what the motif was without looking at the label. But it becomes a recurring motif for her.”

Take, for example, Pelvis Series, Red with Yellow (1945). It looks like an abstraction: a yellow ovoid form surrounded by a nebulous, organic shape rendered in shades of pale white and ochre. Once it registers that the pale-and-ochre shape is a pelvic bone, you no longer view the painting as an abstraction but as a painting of a representational form.

“That painting, where O’Keeffe abstracts the bone, is the subject of a very famous photograph by Tony Vaccaro,”  ...

Tony Caccaro Photograph of Georgia O'Keeffe holding Pelvis Red-Yellow painting
©Tony Vaccaro: Georgia O'Keeffe with painting, New Mexico, 1960



Full article here.

Monday, May 25, 2020

John Loengard 1934 - 2020


John Loengard: Brassai's Eye, Paris, 1981


LIFE magazine photographer John Loengard passed away May 24 in New York City at age 86.
 
John Loengard was born in New York City in 1934, and received his first assignment from LIFE magazine in 1956, while still an undergraduate at Harvard College. He joined the magazine's staff in 1961, and in 1978 was instrumental in its re-birth as a monthly, serving as picture editor until 1987. Under his guidance in 1986, LIFE received the first award for "Excellence in Photography" given by the American Society of Magazine Editors.
 After LIFE magazine suspended weekly publication in 1972, Loengard joined Time Incorporated’s Magazine Development Group as the picture editor of LIFE Special Reports. He was also picture editor of People magazine during its conception in 1973 and the first three months of its publication in 1974
In 2005, American Photo magazine identified Loengard as “One of the 100 most influential people in photography,” and in 2018 he was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame.
In 1996, Loengard received a Lifetime Achievement Award "in recognition of his multifaceted contributions to photojournalism," from Photographic Administrators Inc.

Loengard authored ten books, including: Pictures Under Discussion, which won the Ansel Adams Award for book photography in 1987, Celebrating the Negative, and Georgia O'Keeffe at Ghost Ranch. His book, LIFE Photographers: What They Saw, was named one of the year's ten top books for 1998 by the New York Times

John Loengard: Henry Moore's 'Sheep Piece", 1983


John Loengard: Georgia O'Keeffe with basket, 1966



 


Monday, December 16, 2019

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES


Tony Vaccaro: Georgia O'Keeffe on her Abiquiu Portal, 1960

Retrospective covers the long, eclectic career of Tony Vaccaro
December 15, 2019


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — When photographer Tony Vaccaro first met Georgia O’Keeffe in Abiquiú 1960, the artist refused to speak to him for five days.

On assignment from Look magazine, Vaccaro had traveled to New Mexico by train with art editor Charlotte Willard.

O’Keeffe had been expecting a different photographer, one of her favorites, such as Ansel Adams, Todd Webb or Richard Avedon.

Trying his best to charm her, Vaccaro cooked O’Keeffe a steak and fixed her broken washing machine, to no avail.

Suddenly, the topic turned to bullfighting. Vaccaro mentioned he had photographed the great Spanish matador Manolette.

The artist pivoted in her seat to face him. She never looked at Willard again.

“Georgia O’Keeffe kept me waiting for over a month,” the 96-year-old Vaccaro said in a telephone interview from his home in Long Island City, N.Y. “She wanted nothing to do with this kid. At that time I was pretty young and naive. She said, ‘Talk to me about Manolette.’ After that, we became great friends.”



“Extras on the set of ‘8½’,” Lazio, Italy, 1962, by Tony Vaccaro.

That perseverance served Vaccaro well during World War II and on film and fashion sets across a nearly 80-year career. Santa Fe’s Monroe Gallery of Photography is hosting “Tony Vaccaro: La Dolce Vita,” an exhibit of more than 40 photographs through Jan. 19, 2020.

Vaccaro was drafted into World War II at the age of 21. By the summer of 1944, he was on a boat heading toward Omaha Beach six days after the first landings at Normandy. He was determined to photograph the war, bringing his portable 35mm Argus C-3. He fought on the front lines, developing his photos in combat helmets at night and hanging the negatives from tree branches.

When it all ended, he shot “Kiss of Liberation: Sergeant Gene Costanzo kneels to kiss a little girl during spontaneous celebrations in the main square of the town of St. Briac, France, Aug. 14, 1944.”

“I stopped at a cafe and suddenly I see this GI and this little girl kneeling down,” Vaccaro said. “I quickly race there and he started to kiss this little girl three times: to the left and to the right and back again.”


Kiss of Liberation: Sergeant Gene Costanzo kneels to kiss a little girl during spontaneous celebrations in the main square of the town of St. Briac, France, August 14, 1944,” by Tony Vaccaro.


Vaccaro credits an abusive childhood with helping him survive the carnage. He was orphaned when he was 4 years old, when he was adopted by an uncle in Italy.

He had no idea how to raise a child,” Vaccaro said. “I was black and blue from this man. I had become like an animal to go into every little hole or corner to survive the war.”

After the war, Vaccaro remained in Germany to photograph the rebuilding of the country for Stars And Stripes. Returning to the U.S. in 1950, he started his career as a commercial photographer, eventually working for virtually every major publication: Look, Life, Harper’s Bazaar, Town and Country, Newsweek, and many more. Vaccaro went on to become one the most sought-after photographers of his day, photographing everyone from President John F. Kennedy and Sophia Loren to Pablo Picasso and Frank Lloyd Wright.

The 1960s found him on the film sets of Federico Fellini’s “8½” and “La Dolce Vita.” One image shows a bevy of women posing from the windows of a three-story house.

“One of those houses was really a house of ill repute,” Vaccaro said of “Extras on the set of ‘8½.’ ”

His attention turned to the woman displaying her legs from a window on the lower left.

“Those are all wonderful models,” he continued. “I’m aware one of the ladies was a girl who played around with men.”

He still carries a camera and puts in six or seven hours daily without a break, creating prints in his studio and identifying jobs for his staff. On Nov. 1, he was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.


If YOU GO

WHAT: “Tony Vaccaro: La Dolce Vita”

WHEN: Through Jan. 26, 2020

WHERE: Monroe Gallery of Photography, 112 Don Gaspar, Santa Fe

HOW MUCH: Free at 505-992-0800, monroegallery.com.



Thursday, November 28, 2019

LEGENDARY PHOTOGRAPHER TONY VACCARO TO APPEAR IN SANTA FE TO CELEBRATE HIS 97th BIRTHDAY


Tony Vaccaro
Fellini on the set of “La Dolce Vita”, Italy 1969


Monroe Gallery of Photography is honored to announce “La Dolce Vita”, a major exhibition of more than 40 photographs by Tony Vaccaro. The exhibit opens with a public reception for Tony Vaccaro, about to turn 97, on Friday, November 29 from 5 – 7 PM. The exhibit continues through January 19, 2020 and includes several new discoveries from his archive being exhibited for the very first time, and six vintage darkroom prints from World War II. The war prints are one-of-a-kind: the nitrate negatives completely turned to dust.

Tony Vaccaro photographed on the set of “La Dolce Vita”, and nearing age 97, he indeed is living “the good life”. On November 1 Tony was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum for his “artistry, innovation, and significant contribution to the art and science of photography”, and following the 2016 HBO Films documentary “Under Fire: The Untold Story of Private First Class Tony Vaccaro” he has enjoyed a career renaissance world-wide.

At the age of 21, Tony was drafted into World War II, and by June of 1944, now a combat infantryman in the 83rd Infantry Division, he was on a boat heading toward Omaha Beach, six days after the first landings at Normandy. Denied access to the Signal Corps, Tony was determined to photograph the war, and had his portable 35mm Argus C-3 with him from the start. For the next 272 days, Tony fought and photographed on the front lines of the war.

After the war, Tony remained in Germany to photograph the rebuilding of the country for Stars And Stripes magazine. Returning to the US in 1950, Tony started his career as a commercial photographer, eventually working for virtually every major publication: Look, Life, Harper’s Bazaar, Town and Country, Newsweek, and many more. Tony went on to become one the most sought after photographers of his day, photographing everyone from President John F. Kennedy and Sophia Loren to Pablo Picasso and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Tony still carries a camera and puts in six or seven hours daily without a break; creating prints in his studio and identifying jobs for his staff. Monroe Gallery will sponsor a free screening of “Under Fire: The Untold Story of Private First Class Tony Vaccaro” in the gallery on Saturday, November 30, starting at 5 pm. Seating is limited, RSVP required. The screening will be followed by a Q & A with Tony Vaccaro. Tony Vaccaro celebrates his 97th birthday on December 20.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

September at Monroe Gallery of Photography



The acclaimed exhibition "Tony Vaccaro: War and Peace" has been extended through September 24, 2017.

Monroe Gallery of Photography was honored to welcome Tony Vaccaro to Santa Fe for the opening of the exhibition. Among the highlights of Tony's visit was his return  to the location near Georgia O'Keeffe's home where he made his iconic photograph of Georgia holding " "Pelvic Series, Red with Yellow.

Courtesy of The Tony Vaccaro Studio


In conjunction with the exhibit, Monroe Gallery sponsored two sold-out free screenings of the Emmy Award nominated HBO documentary film “Under Fire: The Untold Story of Private First Class Tony Vaccaro”. The film tells the story of how Tony survived the war, fighting the enemy while also documenting his experience at great risk, developing his photos in combat helmets at night and hanging the negatives from tree branches. The film also encompasses a wide range of contemporary issues regarding combat photography such as the ethical challenges of witnessing and recording conflict, the ways in which combat photography helps to define how wars are perceived by the public, and the sheer difficulty of staying alive while taking photos in a war zone. “Underfire: the Untold Story of Private First Class Tony Vaccaro” was recently nominated for the 2017 Outstanding Historical Documentary Emmy.

Tony Vaccaro, now 94, was the keynote speaker at the recent 100th anniversary of the 83rd Infantry Division reunion in Cleveland, Ohio, August 2-6.

Opening October 6,  the gallery is pleased to present a major exhibition of photographs from one of America’s most accomplished photographers, Art Shay. The exhibit of 50 photographs opens Friday, October 6 with a public reception from 5 – 7 PM, and continues through November 19.

For over 70 years, Art Shay has documented life, combining his gifts of storytelling, humor and empathy. The Lucie Awards is the premiere annual event honoring the greatest achievements in photography. Art Shay, now 95,  will be honored with the Lucie statue for Lifetime Achievement during the Lucie Awards gala ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York October 29, 2017.

At the same time, renowned photographer Steve Schapiro will receive the Lucie Award for Achievement in Photojournalism. Earlier this year the Gallery presented the exhibition "EYEWITNESS” to celebrate the completion of a project based on James Baldwin’s 1963 book, “The Fire Next Time”. Steve Schapiro’s photographs documenting the civil rights movement from 1963 – 1968 are paired with essays from “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin in a major book  published by Taschen in March.

Monroe Gallery is now representing Ryan Vizzions, a respected photographer who occupies Atlanta’s underground art circles. In 2014, Vizzions was awarded a Readers Pick for Best Fine Art Photographer in Creative Loafing’s Best of Atlanta issue. Beginning in September 2016, Vizzions, 33, went to the front lines at Standing Rock, North Dakota, documenting the fight to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from scarring sovereign Native American land and tunneling underneath the Missouri River. Working as part of the media team for the Sioux Tribe’s Oceti Sakowin Camp, he photographed outside the mainstream media. One of his photograph, titled "Defend the Sacred," has appeared in publications including Newsweek and People magazine’s “Year in Pictures” spread, among others.







Sunday, July 2, 2017

Photographer Tony Vaccaro in Santa Fe



57 years later, Tony Vaccaro returned to the location near Georgia O'Keeffe's home where he made his iconic photograph of Georgia holding " "Pelvic Series, Red with Yellow".
Photo courtesy of Tony Vaccaro Studio

"I took this photo 1960 of Georgia she told me not to take color photo and not to take her art of her studio. Well am sorry Georgia I did the opposite. " - Tony Vaccaro





Exhibit reviews and articles

The Santa Fe New Mexican: Monroe Gallery to showcase trove of varied work by photojournalist Tony Vaccaro

The Albuquerque Journal: "The things we live with"

The Santa Fe New Mexican Pasatiempo: Tony Vaccaro's "War and Peace" at Monroe    

The Santa Fe Reporter: Not even a world war stopped this artist



Richard Stolley (left), former Time magazine bureau chief, senior editor and managing editor, and Assistant Managing Editor and Managing Editor of Life magazine, led a Q & A with photographer Tony Vaccaro (right) following the screening of the film "Underfire: The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro" at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe.




Tony Vaccaro at Monroe Gallery
Photo by R. David Marks


Tony Vaccaro receiving the City of Santa Fe's Veteran's Service medal from
Santa Fe City Commissioner Signe Lindell, June 30, 201
(photo courtesy Tom Blog)


Tony Vaccaro: "War and Peace" remains on view through September 17, 2017



Wednesday, June 28, 2017

"Not even a world war stopped this artist"


Georgia O’Keeffe, Santa Fe, LOOK, 1960

Via The Santa Fe Reporter
June 28, 2017,
By Maria Egolf-Romero, Alex De Vore


This Friday, a diverse collection of images in the exhibit Tony Vaccaro: From War To Beauty at the Monroe Gallery of Photography gives Santa Feans a glimpse into the life of the 94-year-old photographer from scenes of World War II to commercial fashion shots, and beyond.

This artist’s lens has captured some of the most famous humans ever—think Sophia Loren, Pablo Picasso and Marilyn Monroe. But some of his first forays into photography were spent documenting World War II. Drafted at 21 years old, Vaccaro carried a 35-mm camera through the trenches of Europe and used innovative techniques to develop his film: Patiently waiting for nightfall, the artist-soldier used the tools available to him in the middle of a war. “I would go over the ruins of a village and try to locate where a camera shop might have been,” he says. “So, in the ruins I could find developer and the things which you need.” Chemicals in hand, Vaccaro used helmets as developing trays; developer, water, hypo and more water to rinse; four helmets in succession in the pitch black. “From Normandy to Berlin, that’s how I developed my pictures,” he tells SFR.

Vaccaro had a long and illustrious career in photography after the war as well, including time working for magazines like Life, Harper’s Bazaar and Newsweek. His work took him to amazing places like the Nile River in Egypt and to photograph fabled architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

But which photo stands out to Vaccaro as his crowning achievement? Georgia O’Keeffe, he says. He asked the painter to take her work outdoors. “It’s one of the great photographs of my life, yes—I have it right in front of me—she’s in profile, and all you have is black, her face and then the great color of that painting,” he says. “The greatest [memory] was Georgia O’Keeffe, and coming to Santa Fe, and it was just Georgia and Tony for about a week or more. It was superb, really.” (Maria Egolf-Romero)

Opening Reception 5 pm Friday, June 30
Free 
Monroe Gallery of Photography, 112 Don Gaspar Ave.
992-0800

Screening 3:45 pm Saturday July 1.
Free.
Center for Contemporary Arts Cinematheque, 1050 Old Pecos Trail 
(Seating is limited, RSVP Required)  982-1338




Sunday, April 30, 2017

O'Keeffe on Camera: Capturing an American Icon




Via the Brooklyn Museum of Art




Get insider views of Georgia O’Keeffe. Join us for a conversation with a filmmaker and three photographers who worked closely with the artist and made images of her. Participants include filmmaker Perry Miller Adato and photographers Christopher Makos, Tony Vaccaro, and Malcolm Varon. Moderated by Wanda Corn, guest curator of Georgia O'Keeffe: Living Modern.

Monroe Gallery of Photography is honored to represent the photography of Tony Vaccaro. The gallery will present a major retrospective exhibition of Tony's work June 30 - September 17, 2017. Tony Vaccaro, now 94, will be present at the opening Friday, June 30, from 5 to 7 pm.

Friday, March 17, 2017

Tony Vaccaro on Panel at Brooklyn Museum for "Georgia O'Keeffe: Living Modern" Exhibit





This Sunday, March 19, Tony Vaccaro will make an appearance at the Brooklyn Museum in a panel discussion about Georgia O'Keeffe. The program kicks off the museum's "Georgia O'Keeffe: Living Modern" exhibit at 2:00 pm in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium on the third floor.

Fifty-seven years ago Look Magazine sent Tony and writer Charlotte Willard to Taos, New Mexico, for a feature length article on this adventurous modernist painter. O'Keeffe put the two into private rooms on her "Ghost Ranch" for one week.

But Tony has no photographs from the first two days. O'Keeffe expected another photographer to accompany Willard and when she saw Tony, she gave him the cold shoulder. He politely kept his camera by his side. He fixed her clothes washer, leveled and set the drapes, and gave the cook a few days off by preparing amazing dinners: penne, sausage, and broccoli, and bistecca fiorentina. Then, one night, O'Keeffe asked Willard if she knew anything about bullfighting. Willard didn't, but Tony said, "I knew the great Manolete. I took his photo." O'Keeffe swiveled in her chair at the head of the table and faced Tony with twenty questions about the bullfighting master. O'Keeffe then ignored Willard completely. By noon the next day, Willard left for New York alone. Tony stayed on for the week and took ten rolls of film.

Tony became O'Keeffe's personal chauffeur over the second half of his visit, and he had his camera ready pre-focused on O'Keeffe and kept one eye on her in the mirror. One day, a desert cloudburst forced them to picnic in the car. When O'Keeffe looked at the world through her Swiss cheese, Tony lifted the camera and shot.

Tony Vaccaro


Tony Vaccaro's photographs of Georgia O'Keeffe will be included with many of his other iconic photographs in an exhibit during the AIPAD Photography Show, Monroe Gallery of Photography, booth #534, March 30 - April 2 at Pier Tony, now 94,  will be present in the booth, please contact the gallery to confirm times.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

John Loengard's Book "Moment by Moment" featured in The Guardian


Via The Guardian


John Loengard: Georgia O’Keeffe on the roof of her home at
Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, in 1967


John Loengard was formerly both a staff photographer and the picture editor of Life magazine, and in the preface to his new book says that ‘a good photograph cannot be repeated’. Moment by Moment published by Thames & Hudson contains 133 images from his career spanning five decades.

Full slide show.


View more of John Loengard's photographs on our website here.




Saturday, December 3, 2016

JOHN LOENGARD: MOMENT BY MOMENT




A new monograph on the iconic American Life photographer John Loengard

As John Loengard writes in the preface to this monograph, “The truth is: a good photograph cannot be repeated. This may be why a photograph of a brief moment, an instant in time, can hold our interest forever.” Moment by Moment is an intriguing selection of many moments in John Loengard’s long career. His subjects include movie stars, writers, politicians, artists, and other photographers, as well as normal people engaged in a host of extraordinary activities―or, rather, typical activities rendered unforgettable or of enduring interest by the photographer’s vision. From a shimmering Marilyn Monroe to a brooding T. S. Eliot, from a now almost sinister silhouette of Bill Cosby to an iconic shot of the Beatles, from an Etonian to a boy in the streets of Manchester, as well as ranchers, sweepers, picnickers, and fellow photographers, Loengard’s vision moves and delights us with his humanity and artistry.

Moment by Moment enlarges our understanding and deepens our appreciation of Loengard’s photographs. 135 duotone photographs.

View John Loengard's photographs at Monroe Gallery here.

The Telegraph: The man who shot The Beatles, Ronald Reagan and Louis Armstrong