History in a Moment

Joe Rosenthal/©AP

Marines of the 28th Regiment of the 5th Division Raise the American Flag Atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, 1945

A major exhibition of iconic moments in history as captured by the leading photojournalists of the time. September 30 - November 20, 2016


"History In A Moment" mines the depth and breadth of Monroe Gallery's archives and is combined with new, never-before exhibited photojournalism masterpieces, from the early 1900's to the present day. The photographs in this exhibition are as much a history of American photojournalism as they are a history of the changing face of the latter part of the Twentieth Century. Through the images captured in these photographs, the eyes of a nation were opened as never before to a changing world.

Historic images featured in the exhibition include the Wright Brothers’ first flight, scenes of migrant workers in the 1930’s and the Great Depression, searing war and conflict photography from World War II, Vietnam, 9/11, and the Iraq War. Historic political campaigns are represented, as are key moments in the civil rights struggle from the 1960’s to the present day.

The exhibit includes several photographs by 93-year old Tony Vaccaro. This Fall, the documentary film “Under Fire: The Untold Story of Private First Class Tony Vaccaro” will premiere at film festivals nation-wide, and debut nation-wide on HBO on November 14, 2016. 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. Monroe Gallery is the exclusive representative for Tony’s work and “History in a Moment” presents Tony’s historic photographs to the gallery public for the first time.

The unforgettable images in this exhibition are imbedded in our collective consciousness; they form a sort of shared visual heritage for the human race, a treasury of significant memories. Many of the photographs featured in this exhibition not only moved the public at the time of their publication, and continue to have an impact today, but set social and political changes in motion, transforming the way we live and think. Looking at the pictorial documentation of such extraordinary events we often get the impression that we are feeling the pulse of history more intensively than at other times.

US Premiere of Underfire: The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro at Boston Film Festival September 22

Underfire: The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro – Trailer from Dog Green Productions on Vimeo.


BOSTON – September 12, 2016 – The 2016 Boston Film Festival program presents a panorama of striking projects that include “American Wrestler: The Wizard” (starring Oscar winner Jon Voight and William Fichtner, “Crash,” “The Perfect Storm”) and “The First Girl I Loved” -- along with the U. S. premiere of the documentary “Underfire” and the East Coast premiere of “Finding Oscar” (produced by Oscar winner Steven Spielberg). Many of the films address themes of acceptance, tolerance and bullying, timely and urgent concerns in contemporary society.

In the Opening Night U.S. Premiere documentary “Underfire,” World War II veteran Tony Vaccaro fought as an infantryman before returning to begin a successful career as a renowned commercial photographer. As a 21-year-old soldier, Vaccaro’s story began in combat as he took over 8,000 photographs on the front lines – harrowing and personal images that were not made public until the 1990s. The director is Max Lewkowicz from Dog Green Productions and HBO/Cargo Films. Max Lewkowicz and Tony Vaccaro will be in Boston for the film premiere.

Q&A Attendees Immediately After Film:

Dir. Max Lewkowicz, Tony Vaccaro, Senior NYT Staff Photographer James Estrin

Tickets and information here.

Full press release here.

"Underfire" will air nationally on HBO November 14, 2016.

Related: Monroe Gallery of Photography is honored to represent Tony Vaccaro

Monroe Gallery of Photography is honored to represent Tony Vaccaro

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

 

VACCARO STUDIO - MONROE GALLERY

New Partnership And Fall Schedule

Santa Fe, NM -- Monroe Gallery of Photography is honored to announce an exclusive partnership with the Tony Vaccaro Studio for digital and analog print sales of Tony's iconic images. 

Monroe Gallery of Photography was founded by Sidney S. Monroe and Michelle A. Monroe. Building on more than five decades of collective experience, the gallery specializes in classic black & white photography with an emphasis on humanist and photojournalist imagery– a perfect fit for the 450,000 images in the Vaccaro archive. Monroe Gallery will be exhibiting Vaccaro’s work in the exhibition “History in a Moment”, September 30 to November 20. In a statement, the Monroe’s commented: “It is a privilege to present Tony’s historic career in photography, and we are pleased that his work will be featured in this important exhibit alongside so many other great 20th and 21st century photojournalists.”  

Monroe Gallery will also contribute to the success of a special pop-up gallery under the direction of veteran curator, and art critic Peter Frank. “Tony Vaccaro: War, Peace, Beauty”, November 11 to 21, 2016, at 508 West 26th Street, 5th floor, in the West Chelsea Building, in New York City’s Chelsea district. Just shy of 3,000 square feet, the exhibit will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with an opening reception, Friday, November 11, 6 – 8 pm. Sidney and Michelle Monroe will be in attendance. Sundays the space opens at noon. A special exhibit of Vaccaro''s photographs will be on view at Monroe Gallery in Santa Fe through December 31, 2016.

“Tony Vaccaro now boasts a seven decade career capturing images iconic to the 20th century. He aimed his camera at the Second World War and its’ aftermath with the same urgency and grace that made him one of the most artful postwar fashion and celebrity photographers. His portraits of artists, statesmen and women, invariably present their subjects deeply and vibrantly embedded in their milieus.” – Peter Frank.

Soon to turn 94, Mr. Vaccaro still carries a camera and puts in six or seven hours without a break; creating prints in his darkroom and identifying jobs for the staff. Mr. Vaccaro recently finished a run of ten prints of Eleanor Roosevelt from 1946. Mr. Vaccaro will make appearances in Boston (Sept. 22), at the Margaret Mead film festival in NYC (October 15), at the ICP in NYC (Nov.10), and at his pop up show. A solo exhibit of Mr. Vaccaro’s work will be presented at Monroe Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, in 2017.

Gallery hours are 10 to 5 Daily. Admission is free. For further information, please call: 505.992.0800; E-mail: info@monroegallery.com.

About Tony Vaccaro

This Fall, the documentary film “Under Fire: The Untold Story of Private First Class Tony Vaccaro” will premiere at film festivals across the United States, and air nationally on HBO on November 14. 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.

At the age of 21, Tony was drafted into the war and by June of 1944, he was on a boat heading toward Omaha Beach, six days after the first landings at Normandy. 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 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 Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren to Pablo Picasso and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Tony turns 94 this December, and his photographs are available for the first time exclusively at Monroe Gallery of Photography.


The Wall Street Journal:
Exposing a Life, From WWII to the West Village A documentary and a new exhibit put photographer Tony Vaccaro into focus

Victims of Armed Conflict in Colombia the Focus Photography Exhibition in Santa Fe

Santa Fe, N.M.—September 7 , 2016—The Photography Department at Santa Fe University of Art and Design (SFUAD) is proud to announce an exhibition entitled “Drifting Away/Río Abajo” by Colombian visual artist Erika Diettes. The exhibition, which is part of SFUAD’s Artists for Positive Social Change™ series, opens Sept. 16 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Atrium Gallery at the Marion Center for Photographic Arts. Diettes will speak on campus Sept. 17 from 4 to 5 p.m. in Tipton Hall.

Diettes’s work honors the victims of armed conflict between the government, guerillas (FARC) and drug lords in Colombia. In this series, images of artifacts of the disappeared––a shirt, a shoe or a pair of eyeglasses––are photographed in water and printed on huge plates of glass that are framed and placed on the ground like large-scale tombstones.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the university will host a conversation between Diettes and Kate Ware, curator of photography at the New Mexico Museum of Art, on Sept. 17 from 4 to 5 p.m. in Tipton Hall on the SFUAD campus. Diettes will then sign copies of her book Memento Mori: Testament to Life. The event is free and open to the public.

Diettes is a Colombian visual artist and social anthropologist whose work focuses on the deeply personal yet universal effects of political violence and injustice. Her work is part of the permanent collection of major museums, including the Museo Nacional in Bogatá and Museo de Antioquia in Colombia and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. It has been featured at the Fotofest Biennial, the Festival de la Luz in Buenos Aires, the Ballarat Foto Biennale in Australia, and in an exhibit at CENTER, Santa Fe, N.M.

The Atrium Gallery at the Marion Center for Photographic Arts and Tipton Hall are located on the SFUAD campus at 1600 St. Michael’s Drive. The exhibition can be viewed weekdays between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. through January 14.

Launched in 2011, Artists for Positive Social Change explores a specific theme relevant to society and the work of artists who push the creative boundaries through a university-wide series of events, courses, lectures and performances.

About SFUAD’s Photography Department
The Photography Department at Santa Fe University of Art and Design offers a comprehensive education in the theory, techniques, history and ethics of photography. This base, integrated with a strong foundation in other visual and liberal arts, provides students with the knowledge and perspective they need to pursue photography as a creative professional. The program, housed in the Anne and John Marion Center for Photographic Arts, encompasses both analog and digital technologies, giving students the chance to work in exemplary traditional and alternative process darkrooms and a state-of-the-art digital facility. Students also have access to the Beaumont and Nancy Newhall Library, an outstanding resource on the history, aesthetics and technology of photography.

More details here.

About Santa Fe University of Art and Design:

Santa Fe University of Art and Design is an accredited institution located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, one of the world’s leading centers for art and design. The university offers degrees in business, contemporary music, creative writing, digital arts, graphic design, film, performing arts, photography and studio art. Faculty members are practicing artists who teach students in small groups, following a unique interdisciplinary curriculum that combines hands-on experience with core theory and prepares graduates to become well-rounded, creative, problem-solving professionals. SFUAD boasts an international student body and opportunities to study abroad, encouraging students to develop a global perspective on the arts. Santa Fe University of Art and Design is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission

The most iconic Marilyn Monroe object of all time will sell at Auction

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


Via ArtDaily.org

On November 17, 2016, Julien’s Auctions, the world-record breaking auction house to the stars, will once again make history when it exclusively offers the Marilyn Monroe “Happy Birthday Mr. President” Jean Louis creation at auction.

Life magazine photographer Bill Ray remembers that night and how he made his famous photograph here.

©Bill Ray

President John F. Kennedy at his birthday party after Marilyn Monroe Sang "Happy Birthday"

In the news: the unexploded bombs dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War

Stephen Wilkes: Bomb Craters, Laos, 2015

Stephen Wilkes' photographs in National Geographic: Laos Finds New Life After the Bombs

Slideshow

During a visit to Laos in 2012, LIFE photographer Bob Gomel's tour guide showed him how the Laotians hid from the American bombs during the war-in underground caves: