August 5, 2024
By: Jessica McMaster
August 4, 2024
Tony Vaccaro photographed a world of beauty from a crucible of pain.
He photographed World War II from a soldier’s eye, documenting its brutality and horror. After carrying his camera across battlefields, he became one of the most sought-after photographers of his day, capturing everyone from Pablo Picasso to Ali MacGraw on film.
Open at Santa Fe’s Monroe Gallery of Photography, “Tony Vaccaro: The Pursuit of Beauty” includes more than 40 photographs dating from 1944 to 1979.
Born in Pennsylvania, Vaccaro spent the first years of his life in the village of Bonefro, Italy, after his family left America under threat from the Mafia. Both of his parents had died by the time he was 8 years old and he was raised by an uncaring aunt and an abusive uncle. His love of photography emerged in Bonefro, where he began taking pictures with a box camera at age 10.
When World War II broke out, he returned to the States, living with his sister in a New York suburb, where he joined his high school camera club. A teacher spotted his talent and guided him through a year of apprenticeship.
Drafted at 21, Vaccaro was determined to continue photographing in combat. He fought on the front lines for 272 days, camera in hand. He entered Germany in 1944. He developed his photographs in combat helmets at night, hanging the negatives from tree branches.
In 1945, he photographed Adolf Hitler’s both sinister and beautiful window at the dictator’s retreat in the Bavarian Alps.
“That massive window was filled with a very thick pane of glass,” said Sidney Monroe, the gallery’s co-owner. “It’s a haunting picture. It’s the ultimate conquest at the end of the war.”
In the years after the war, Vaccaro remained in Germany to photograph the rebuilding of the country for Stars and Stripes magazine. He returned to the U.S. in 1950 and launched a career as a commercial photographer. He worked for Look, Life, Harper’s Bazaar, Town and Country, Newsweek and more.
After the war, he said he had seen enough carnage. He traded beauty for brutality.
In 1960, Vaccaro spent two weeks at Georgia O’Keeffe’s Abiquiú home, photographing her for Look magazine.
“O’Keeffe was pretty notorious for not wanting to be interviewed or photographed,” Monroe said. “So Tony comes out with a writer and she gave them the cold shoulder. O’Keeffe almost wouldn’t talk to him.
“Tony told us at dinner the conversation shifted to bullfighting. O’Keeffe was a fan of a famous Mexican bullfighter that he had photographed. That broke the ice. They bonded and formed a lifelong friendship.”
The photograph captures O’Keeffe’s legendary iconography, the skull between the canales and her rock collection scattered across a shelf.
“She’s in black and wearing her famous belt,” Monroe said. “It incorporates everything we think of when we think of O’Keeffe.”
The show marks the first time the photo has been exhibited.
“Most of the photographs were never published,” Monroe said. “We encouraged him while he was still alive to go to the files.”
Vaccaro’s famous 1960 “Guggenheim Hat” photograph for Look magazine combines architecture with fashion to make art. The model’s hat mirrors the forms of the Guggenheim Museum.
“The Guggenheim had just really opened,” Monroe said. “At the time, it was sort of an instant classic.”
The model in “Anja on Park Avenue” became Vaccaro’s wife. Her heavily-patterned gown mimics the lights on the Pan Am building behind her. The Swedish designer Marimekko was known for its bold patterning. The photo has never been seen before.
In Venice, Italy, Vaccaro photographed Peggy Guggenheim leaving her home in a gondola in 1968. She was starting her museum in Venice.
“She had a big house there that held her art collection,” Monroe said. “She was fabulously eccentric.”
The photo captures an angry Guggenheim hiding something beneath her blue cape.
Her yard featured a large bronze sculpture of a rearing horse.
The horse has a penis and the penis was removable.
A school group was about to enter the yard.
“She removed the penis,” Monroe said. “That is under the cape. He wanted her to show it; that’s why she looks mad. It’s a wonderful marriage of subject and place.”
In 2022, Monroe and his wife and business partner Michelle celebrated Vaccaro’s 100th birthday in New York. The city of New York declared it “Tony Vaccaro Day” and he was feted at his favorite Italian restaurant. He died eight days later, after surviving the Battle of Normandy and two bouts of COVID. He attributed his longevity to “blind luck, red wine and determination.”
'Tony Vaccaro: The Pursuit of Beauty'
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; through Sept. 15
WHERE: Monroe Gallery of Photography, 112 Don Gaspar, Santa Fe
MORE INFO: monroegallery.com; 505-992-0800
August 2, 2024
Monroe Gallery of Photography is honored to host a special fundraising event to support The Jungle Dress Project documentary.
Photographer Eugene Tapahe's goal is to take the healing power of the Ojibwe jingle dress to the land, to travel, to dance and capture a series of images to document the spiritual places our ancestors once walked, and to unite and give hope to the world through art, dance and culture to help us heal. This special event will feature an exclusive preview of the Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project short documentary with an opportunity to contribute towards the continuation of the film.
Fine art prints will be available with proceeds from sales supporting the project.
Friday, August 16, starting promptly at 6:30
RSVP essential by Monday, July 12; please use this link. Seating is limited.
"Now, the project is bigger than I imagined. The support, the love, and the encouragement from all over the world is inspirational. It motivates Dion, Erin, JoAnni, Sunni and I through our difficulties while we travel on our photo expeditions. It has been beautiful, emotional, empowering and most importantly, healing. Don't miss this unique opportunity to experience the beauty and unity of our spiritual journey through compelling visuals and storytelling behind this historic endeavor" --Eugene Tapahe
Via Monroe Gallery of Photography
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, July 31, 2024The Spencer Museum of Art, operated by the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, has recently added a print from January 6, 2021 by Nina Berman to its Collection. New York City-based photojournalist, filmmaker, and professor, Nina Berman covered the January 6 Insurrection at the Capitol in Washington, DC. Her photographs of that day have been published internationally, including National Geographic, Vice News, and L'Illustre.
“Big Brother, Washington DC, 2021 stands as a reminder and a warning.” — Nina Berman
Nina Berman: "Big Brother" President Trump's image appears onscreen at a rally outside the White House. Before long, a mob of his supporters would march into the Capitol building, January 6, 2021
Located on the University of Kansas campus, the Spencer Museum of Art is a vibrant cultural center that sparks curiosity, inspires creativity, and creates connections among people through art.
With a diverse collection of more than 48,000 art objects and works of cultural significance, the Spencer is the only comprehensive art museum in the state of Kansas and serves more than 50,000 visitors annually.
The Museum’s vision is to present its collection as a living archive that motivates object-centered research and teaching, creative work, and transformative public dialogue. The Spencer facilitates arts engagement and research through exhibitions, artist commissions and residencies, conferences, film screenings, musical and dramatic performances, artist- and scholar-led lectures, children’s art activities, and community arts and culture festivals.
Nina Berman’s fine art prints are represented by Monroe Gallery of Photography.
Photographer, Director, Author, Storyteller: Joe McNally
Take a trip around the track or up and down the field with Joe McNally. In the studio or on the playing field, he has photographed sports and athletes in an incredible variety of ways, from stylized action in a controlled environment, where everything is orchestrated to create impact, to the unpredictable hurly-burly of competition. Under discussion will be camera work, Olympic prep and action, studio and location portraiture, concept-driven images of sports stars, and imaginative solutions to create vibrant, compelling images illuminating the obsession to be the best that possesses every high-level competitor. A lively discussion with Seth Miranda, aka Last Witness, precedes a live demo in the Adorama presentation space.
Joe McNally is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning photographer and filmmaker whose prolific career includes assignments in 70 countries. McNally won the first Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Journalistic Impact for a LIFE coverage titled, “The Panorama of War.” McNally has been honored numerous times by Communication Arts, PDN, Graphis, American Photo, POY, and The World Press Photo Foundation. McNally is masterful at lighting and is known for his large-scale production work, in addition to his vast storytelling experience which stems from assignment work for legendary publications such as LIFE and National Geographic. His work is regularly cited in social media surveys as a source of inspiration and industry leadership.
July 26, 2024
Monday - July 29, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time
Nina Berman is a documentary photographer, filmmaker, journalist, and educator. Her work explores American politics, militarism, environmental issues, and post-violence trauma.
The photographer is the author of Purple Hearts – Back from Iraq (Trolley, 2004), which features portraits and interviews with wounded American veterans. Berman is also the author of Homeland (Trolley, 2008), which is an examination of the militarization of American life post-September 11th. She is also the author of the autobiography of Miss Wish (Kehrer, 2017), a story told about the survivor of sexual violence. Miss Wish was shortlisted for the Aperture and Arles book prizes.
Additional fellowships, awards, and grants include the NY Foundation for the Arts, the World Press Photo Foundation, Pictures of the Year International, the Open Society Foundation, the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship, and The Aftermath Project.
Berman began her photography career in 1988 as an independent photographer working on assignments for the world’s major magazines including Time, Newsweek, Life, the NY Times Magazine, NY Magazine, German Geo, and The Sunday Times.
The photographer covered a range of issues, from women under siege during the war in Bosnia and Afghanistan, to domestic issues of criminal justice, reproductive rights, and political process. Berman's work has been exhibited at more than 100 international venues from the Whitney Museum Biennial to the concrete security walls at the Za'atari refugee camp.
Public collections include the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Museum of the City of NY, the Harvard Art Museums, and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, among others.
July 22, 2024
The Martha's Vineyard Museum's exhibition "Eisenstaedt’s Martha’s Vineyard" offers a captivating glimpse into the island's past through the lens of famed photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995). Known for his iconic images published in Life magazine, Eisenstaedt's connection to Martha's Vineyard spanned several decades, starting from his first assignment there in the 1930s. Eisenstaedt was frequently seen with his camera, a Leica rangefinder, which he used to capture some of his most iconic photographs. He had a distinctive style of working, often using natural light and waiting patiently for the perfect moment to click the shutter. His small, unobtrusive camera allowed him to blend into the background and capture candid, spontaneous moments that might have been missed with larger, more conspicuous equipment.
Alfred Eisenstaedt was a German-born (which is now Poland) American photographer who is considered one of the pioneering photojournalists. He began taking photographs at a young age, receiving his first camera, an Eastman Kodak Folding Camera, when he was just 11 years old.
Eisenstaedt served in the German army during World War I and was wounded in 1918. After the war, he worked as a belt and button salesman in Weimar, Germany, but also started working as a freelance photographer for what eventually became the Associated Press.
The exhibition, curated by Anna Barber, features a rich collection of Eisenstaedt's work, highlighting both his renowned and lesser-known photographs. Visitors are invited to explore images that capture the essence of the island, such as a ferry cutting through ice in 1961 (First Boat in Three Days, 1961), island children learning square dancing, and portraits of notable locals like Mrs. Napoleon Madison (1969), a member of Aquinnah’s Wampanoag Tribe. Visitors can also listen to interviews with Eisenstaedt, about multiple subjects regarding his life.
Curator Anna Barber shares:
"Through his photographs, Eisenstaedt shows us the Martha's Vineyard he loved- its people, its festivities, and its quiet corners. This exhibition is a tribute to his ability to capture the spirit of the Island, inviting visitors to experience it through moments both grand and profoundly personal."
July 22, 2024
Gallery photographer Joe McNally's photographs feature prominently in today's Guardian feature on Joe Biden’s political career across the decades – in pictures, as well as in The Irish Times.
July 19, 2024
"Their images will join others that captured some of the darkest days in U.S. history, such as the famous photo by Bill Eppridge showing a busboy helping Robert F. Kennedy moments after the presidential candidate was assassinated in 1968, and the images by Associated Press photographer Ron Edmonds of President Ronald Reagan being rushed to his motorcade after being shot in 1981."'
Bill Eppridge covered Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 Presidential campaign, see his work here.
