Saturday, November 27, 2021

Simone Leluault, one of the heroines of Tony Vaccaro's iconic Kiss of Liberation, has died

 Via New in 24

November 26, 2021

US soldier kissing young girls after liberation of France by Tony Vaccaro

Tony Vaccaro’s famous “Kiss of Liberation”. The young woman seen in the background on the left is Simone Leluault, who died Wednesday, November 24, 2021 © Tony Vaccaro


She embodied Freedom and rediscovered joy. France saved by the Allies and delivered from the Nazis. Simone Leluault passed away on Wednesday November 24, 2021, at the age of 95.

She was one of the dancers of the famous Kiss of Liberation. An image taken by the American war photographer Tony Vaccaro, on August 15, 1944, during the liberation of the small village of Saint-Briac, located near Dinard, in Brittany.

Printed in five million copies

The photo was selected by General Eisenhower as a symbol of American action in Europe during World War II. It was printed in five million copies and distributed throughout the world.


“This photo is almost an accident”

“Oh, you know, this photo is almost an accident,” Tony Vaccaro told us during one of his trips to France 70 years later.

A happy accident dated August 15, 1944. That day, Saint-Briac, liberated by General Patton’s 83rd Infantry Division, was won over by popular jubilation. On the Place du Center, we take out the accordion, a party is improvised. A circle is formed. A man has to go get a woman and the two people have to kiss each other on a mat in the center of the circle. Then it’s the woman’s turn to choose a man and take him to the center mat.

I was in the square, across the street. And there, I recognize this American soldier, my friend Gene Constanzo, crouching and kissing a little girl in the middle of a group of young girls dancing around him


Tony Vaccaro

The power of an image

The GI's crosses the square at full stride. He guessed the strength of the scene. The tenderness and joy carried by this image. The Kiss of Liberation is in the box. Forever.

The next day, I went by jeep to the surroundings of Rennes. I needed a studio and chemicals to develop my photos. The negatives were perfect!

We never knew who the kissed little girl was at the heart of the photo. Tony Vaccaro, on the other hand, has kept in touch all his life with the two young women, in the background. Sisters Marie-Thérèse and Simone Crochu.

70 years later, in front of the famous enlarged photo on the pediment of the town hall of Saint-Briac, the former American war reporter and Simone Leluault faced the crowd, in the presence of John Kerry, then head of American diplomacy, during the inauguration of the “Tony Vaccaro Square”.


Wounded by a shard

Simone had publicly remembered the summer of 1944 when she almost lost her life. She was on a train that had been targeted by an English plane. Wounded by a shard, the 18-year-old young woman had been miraculously saved by a bundle of artichokes that she held against her. “And it wasn’t a leg injury that was going to stop him dancing a few weeks later,” John Kerry had teased from the podium. Simone had answered him with a big smile. That same smile forever imprinted in the history books.



Exhibition: Tony Vaccaro at 99 - November 26, 2021 through January 16, 2022


Friday, November 26, 2021

Tony Vaccaro at Monroe Gallery of Photography

 Via Pasatiempo, The Santa Fe New Mexican

November 26, 2020


color photo of fashion model on NY commuter train, 1960
Tony Vaccaro, The Fashion Train, NYC (1960), archival pigment print


Photographer Tony Vaccaro, the subject of a 2016 documentary by HBO Films, fought on the front lines during World War II as a combat infantryman in the 83rd Infantry Division. All the while he was documenting his first-hand experience with his camera.

After the war, Vaccaro distinguished himself as a photographer, capturing a spectrum of events and personalities, such as artist Georgia O’Keeffe, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and activist Coretta Scott King. His work appeared in numerous publications, including Harper’s Bazaar, Town and Country, and Newsweek.

Vaccaro, who’s about to turn 99, survived the Battle of Normandy and, more recently, a bout of COVID-19. He appears via live remote for his 99th Birthday Exhibition during a 5 p.m. reception on Friday, Nov. 26. The exhibit continues through Jan. 16. Masks and proof of vaccination required for the reception.

Monroe Gallery of Photography, 112 Don Gaspar Ave., 505-992-0800, monroegallery.com



Thursday, November 25, 2021

Monroe Gallery of Photography: Tony Vaccaro 99th Birthday Exhibition

screen shot og :'Oiel de la Photographie feature on Tony Vaccaro exhibit



November 25, 2021

In what has become an annual tradition, Monroe Gallery of Photography presents a special exhibition celebrating the birthday of renowned photographer Tony Vaccaro – this year honoring his 99th birthday – on December 20.

The exhibit of over 40 photographs spans Tony’s 80-year career and features several never-before-exhibited photographs. Nearing age 99, Tony Vaccaro is one of the few people alive who can claim to have survived the Battle of Normandy and COVID-19.

As the world has endured nearly two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the work of Tony Vaccaro serves as an antidote to man’s inhumanity; by focusing on the splendor of life, Tony replaced the images of horror embedded in his eyes from war’. Full post with slide show.


 

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

TONY VACCARO AT 99

 




In what has become an annual tradition, Monroe Gallery of Photography is honored to present a special exhibition celebrating the birthday of renowned photographer Tony Vaccaro – this year honoring his 99th birthday on December 20. The exhibit of over 40 photographs spans Tony’s 80-year career and features several never-before-exhibited photographs. The exhibit opens Friday, November 26, and continues through January 16, 2022. Nearing age 99, Tony Vaccaro is one of the few people alive who can claim to have survived the Battle of Normandy and COVID-19.

As the world has endured nearly two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the work of Tony Vaccaro serves as an antidote to man’s inhumanity; by focusing on the splendor of life, Tony replaced the images of horror embedded in his eyes from war.

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania on December 20, 1922, Tony Vaccaro spent the first years of his life in the village of Bonefro, Italy after his family left America under threat from the Mafia. His mother died during childbirth a few years before tuberculosis claimed his father, and by age 5 he was an orphan in Italy, raised by an uncaring aunt and enduring beatings from an uncle. By World War II he was an American G.I., drafted into the war 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 he photographed his personal witness to the brutality of 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.


UNDERFIRE: The Untold Story of Tony Vaccaro (trailer). from Cargo Film & Releasing on Vimeo.

Underfire: The Untold Story of PFC Tony Vaccaro is available from Apple and Amazon

 

Saturday, November 20, 2021

Monroe Gallery of Photography was honored to donate a print by Gabriela E. Campos to Christus St. Vincent's Hospital

 

black and white photo of nurses at St. Vincents Covid ward, Santa Fe, NM 2020

On Friday, Nov. 19, Monroe Gallery of Photography was honored to donate a print by Gabriela E. Campos to Christus St. Vincent's Hospital.

"A nursing station in the Frost 19 unit, Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, Santa Fe, NM, December, 2020" was taken during a surge in Covid-10 cases, and was part of a series that resulted in a first place New Mexico Press Association award. View the full essay here in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Photographer Ashley Gilbertson in the HBO Documentary "Four Hours at the Capitol"

 VIA HBO

On Demand - Available until November 25, 2021

Photographer Ashley Gilbertson, who captured the iconic image of Officer Goodman on January 6, recounts his observations in the documentary. Three of Gilbertson's photographs from that day were in the Monroe Gallery exhibit "Present Tense". 


 

Four Hours At The Capitol - Watch the HBO Original Documentary | HBO


Four Hours at the Capitol is an immersive chronicle of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when thousands of American citizens from across the country gathered in Washington D.C. to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election, many with the intent of disrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s presidency. The documentary film is executive produced by Dan Reed (HBO’s Leaving Neverland, Three Days of Terror: The Charlie Hebdo Attacks, Terror at the Mall) and directed by Jamie Roberts.

‌‌Tightly focused on the facts of the day itself, the documentary features never-before-seen footage and vivid first-hand accounts from lawmakers, staffers, police officers, protesters, and rioters who stormed the Capitol building where the electoral votes were being counted. The film details how the violence quickly escalated, leaving Capitol security forces outnumbered and overwhelmed, and highlights the high-stakes standoff between police and rioters. Four Hours at the Capitol presents an unfiltered look at the insurrection, standing both as an intimate recollection as well as a stark reminder of the wider ramifications of the events of that unprecedented day, which ended with the deaths of five people and more than 140 police officers injured.

Three of Gilbertson's photographs from that day were in the Monroe Gallery exhibit "Present Tense". 

Monday, November 15, 2021

Gallery Photographers Margaret Bourke-White and Alfred Eisenstaedt Included in “Masters of Photography" Exhibit

 

Via The San Diego Union Tribune

November 14, 2021


"Finally opening one year after its scheduled debut, the San Diego Museum of Art’s new photography exhibition will display some of the medium’s most recognizable and influential names, including Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Aaron Siskind and Alfred Eisenstaedt.

“Things as They Are: City, Society and Conflict” covers everything from a chilling shot of Nazi minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels by Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1933. Two of Bourke-White’s prints are on view in the “Things as They Are: City, Society and Conflict” section. One is a 1951 image of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Boxer, stationed in San Diego, the other is of the Buchenwald concentration camp liberation in 1945. "

Saturday, November 13, 2021

Ed Kashi: ‘This image was a breakthrough. I began to see the world anew’

 Via The Guardian

By Grace Holliday

Sat 13 November,  2021 


Sky high: Ed Kashi’s best phone picture

‘This image was a breakthrough. I began to see the world anew’

view of gondolas on Santa Cruz boardwalk
Santa Cruz boardwalk, 2013, shot on iPhone 5. Photograph: Ed Kashi

Ed Kashi regards his shot of a California aerial tram ride as a personal turning point. For three decades, on assignment in countries including Nigeria, Iraq and Pakistan, he had taken countless images of civil discord and extreme suffering. “I had absorbed that trauma – many photojournalists do. Often our singular goal is to get as close as possible to the most horrible things on Earth and document them,” Kashi says. “I needed to rehabilitate myself, to make a photo that was soft, beautiful and candy-coloured – to expand my emotional range. This image was a breakthrough. I began to see the world anew.”

Kashi describes this period as the “Plasticine era of Instagram”, a time when the smartphone was transitioning from “a fun, novelty toy to a viable tool for an image maker”.

The shot was taken at an amusement park in the US city of Santa Cruz on a day trip with college students, during the afternoon session of a photography workshop Kashi was conducting. “When I’m ‘on’ as a photojournalist, I’m always looking for and responding to visual clues, whether it’s the horizon or the light,” he says.

Spontaneously boarding the aerial tram, he reached for his iPhone 5 instead of his usual 35mm camera. Even in an amusement park dedicated to pleasure and fun, he saw darker undercurrents (not least the plastic figure taking a ride). “The people in the shot aren’t beaming,” he says. “Their facial expressions suggest that perhaps they’re hungry, or tired, or just had a fight. That’s just being human.” And, as the cabin rose, a thought he’d had in far more serious contexts urged him on: “The photo gods have bestowed this upon me – don’t screw it up.”


View more of Ed Kashi's photography here

Sunday, November 7, 2021

Gallery Photographer Sanjay Suchak: "There's no better example of democracy and photography than the statue removals happening around Virginia"

 

Via VPM Instagam

November 7, 2021

Gallery photographer Sanjay Suchak's "Take 'em Down" series covering the removal of confederate statues in Virginia as the only official photographer allowed to be part of the wrecking crew was featured on Virginia Public Media (VPM). His work was featured in Monroe Gallery's "Present Tense" exhibit earlier this summer.

photo of crane removing statue of Andrew Jackson in Richmond, VA, 2020


"There's no better example of democracy and photography than the statue removals happening around Virginia. I've always liked documenting construction - more destruction of things, abandoned buildings, tearing down arenas, places filled with such life that you tear down piece by piece. So the idea of dismantling these statues, which are celebrated at some point, for all the wrong reasons is very attractive to me as a photographer.”

- Sanjay Suchak





Tuesday, November 2, 2021

We look forward to exhibiting and seeing you in New York! Save the dates: The Photography Show presented by AIPAD, May 19 through 22, 2022, at Center415

 



VIA AIPAD

NEW YORK – The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) has announced new dates and a new midtown Manhattan location for The Photography Show presented by AIPAD. The highly anticipated 41th edition will be held from May 19 through 22, 2022, at Center415 located on Fifth Avenue between 37th and 38th streets in New York City.  


More than 45 of the world’s leading galleries of fine art photography will present museum-quality work including cutting-edge contemporary, modern, and exemplary 19th-century photographs, as well as photo-based art, video, and new media, at the premier fine art photography fair. 

“After an absence of almost three years due to COVID-19, we can’t wait to reunite the global photography community in New York City for The Photography Show presented by AIPAD,” said Michael Lee, President of AIPAD and Owner of Lee Gallery, Winchester, Mass. “There is a great desire for photography dealers, collectors, curators and museum groups to finally gather again in front of the best in photography. We look forward to presenting a tightly focused member fair in a fresh venue in the middle of Manhattan and with dates that place AIPAD in the exciting art calendar in May.” 

The Photography Show, a vital part of New York City’s cultural scene and a must-see among fine art photography collectors, is the longest running exhibition dedicated to the photographic medium. The 2022 Show will feature leading galleries – all of whom are members of AIPAD – from across the U.S. and around the world, including Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America. 

An essential annual event for the international photography community, The Photography Show presented by AIPAD commences with an Opening Preview on Thursday, May 19. 

SHOW LOCATION
Center415, 415 Fifth Avenue, between 37th and 38th Streets, New York City
For further details, visit aipad.com or contact info@aipad.com.

MEDIA INFORMATION ONLINE
Information about The Photography Show presented by AIPAD is available at aipad.com. Find AIPAD on Facebook at facebook.com/AIPADphoto or follow @AIPADphoto on Instagram and Twitter.

AIPAD BACKGROUND
Founded in 1979, The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) represents more than 80 of the world’s leading galleries in fine art photography. AIPAD is dedicated to creating and maintaining the highest standards of scholarship and ethical practice in the business of exhibiting, buying, and selling fine art photography. More information is available at AIPAD.com.