Not since 1929 has there been a biography of Edward Steichen,
photographer, painter, and a pivotal yet enigmatic figure in
twentieth-century art and culture on two continents. Steichen, who
died just short of his ninety-fourth birthday, was fifty and
internationally famous when Steichen the Photographer was written
by his brother-in-law, the poet and biographer Carl Sandburg. Now
Penelope Niven, whose highly acclaimed biography of Sandburg
appeared in 1991, has written the first comprehensive biography of
Steichen.
Here, she illuminates the full story of Steichen's avant-garde life
in Paris and New York and his roles in introducing modern art to
the American audience, in shaping aerial reconnaissance photography
in World War I and navy photography in World War II, in
revolutionizing American fashion and portrait photography through
his years as chief of photography at Vanity Fair and Vogue, and in
creating the unprecedented photographic exhibition The Family of
Man, which has touched a global audience of millions since it
opened in 1955.
Searching the world over for Steichen's letters, paintings, and
photographs, Niven has reconstructed his major, pioneering
achievements. Steichen's enduring contributions to the fine art of
photography have not been fully recognized because they have not,
until now, been fully documented and placed within the context of
his times and his turbulent, romantic, and often tragic personal
life.
With the help of public and private papers and interviews, Niven
builds a compelling portrait of the charismatic, complex, very
human man behind the camera. We explore Steichen's gardens and his
artful love of nature, manifested in his obsessive achievementsas a
master breeder of delphinium. We step inside his intimate, private
world--and view his passionate attachment to his mother, his
sister, and his two daughters; the heartrending battles of his
first marriage; and his alleged and actual love affairs. This
biography also explores Steichen's catalytic relationships with
August Rodin, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Alfred Stieglitz,
Gertrude and Leo Stein, and Carl and Lilian Steichen Sandburg.
"Steichen was a rebel, stubbornly independent and largely
self-taught, who also believed passionately in the fundamental
intersections of art and life, " Penelope Niven writes. As this
biography reveals, Edward Steichen's life, like his art, was
brilliantly original, dramatic, and unforgettable.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
(1)
(3)
