Photographers to Know

Set I: Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Richard Avedon & Diane Arbus

Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946)

• Photographed early 20th century New York

• Best known for making photography an acceptable form of fine art as the founder of the Photo Secession and Pictorialism movements

• The Photo Secession was a group of photographers whose work placed focus on craftmanship

Alfred Stieglitz

• Famous bodies of work– “Camera Notes” and edited a magazine called “Camera Work”

• Curated many shows at Edward Steichen’s gallery space called 291 or “Little Galleries of the Photo Secession”

• Married to the painter Georgia O’Keefe

Edward Steichen (1879-1973)

• Opened the 291 gallery

• Admired Stieglitz’s work in NY and brought those ideas to France

• Curated the exhibition “The Family of Man” that documented the human experience with 508 photos from 68 countries and 273 photographers

• Worked in alternative processes a lot– Gum Bichromate, Platinum

Richard Avedon (1923-2004)

• His start came from his work in fashion photography

• Known for his celebrity portraits

• Photographs people on simple backgrounds and has them engage the camera

• Known for his series titled “The American West”

Diane Arbus (1923-1971)

• Focused on photographing the outcasts of society– the “freaks”

• Her work was criticized as making a mockery of her subjects because of her upbringing

• First American photographer to have her work showcased in the Venice Biennele in 1972, a year after her death