Chris Niedenthal
Encyclopedia
Chris Niedenthal is a British
-Polish
photographer and photojournalist. A member of the Association of Polish Art Photographers, his pictures were published in a number of internationally renowned newspapers and magazines, among them Newsweek
, Time
, Der Spiegel
and Forbes
. In 1986 he received the World Press Photo
prize for a portrait of János Kádár
.
He is best known for his series of photographs documenting life behind the Iron Curtain
, as well as the history of Solidarity. His picture of an Armoured Personnel Carrier
standing in front of Warsaw
's "Moscow" cinema screening "Apocalypse Now
" became one of the icons of the Martial Law in Poland
.
Chris Niedenthal was born 1950 in London
, to a family of Polish World War II
-era refugees. His father used to be a public prosecutor in Vilna until the war, after 1945 he was forced to settle in the United Kingdom, where he started working for the ministry of education. Niedenthal's mother had been working for the emmigree Polish Telegraphic Agency
. He first visited Poland in 1963 and since then he was regularly visiting the country of his parents.
He received his first photographic camera, the Kodak Starmite, at the age of 11. Soon after finishing school he joined the London College of Printing, where he graduated from a three-year photography course. In 1973 he settled in Poland and became a freelancer
journalist and photographer for Newsweek
. His first major photoreport featured illegal churches established against the will of the ruling communist party in the People's Republic of Poland
. In 1978 Niedenthal was the first to document the town of Wadowice
, the hometown of Karol Wojtyła
immediately after the latter had been elected pope
John Paul II
. He also documented the pope's first visit to Poland the following year.
In 1980 Niedenthal, together with Michael Dobbs
, were the first foreign journalists to enter the Gdańsk Shipyard
during the rise of the Solidarity movement. After the communit leadership introduces martial law
, Niedenthal was one of very few foreign photographers documenting the reality in Poland for western media. He managed to smuggle many of his pictures abroad, to be published in Germany's Der Spiegel
or American Newsweek
and Time. Among such pictures was one that became an icon of that part of Polish history
, depicting a SKOT
APC standing in front of a cinema in Warsaw, with a large banner advertising Francis Ford Coppola
's Apocalypse Now
in the background. His 1986 picture of Hungarian communist leader János Kádár
made it to the cover of the international edition of TIME magazine and was awarded with the World Press Photo
prize for that year.
In 1987 Niedenthal moved to Vienna to work for Time's Eastern European office, but returned to Poland soon afterwards. In 1998 he received Polish citizenship and continues to live in Poland.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
photographer and photojournalist. A member of the Association of Polish Art Photographers, his pictures were published in a number of internationally renowned newspapers and magazines, among them Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
and Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
. In 1986 he received the World Press Photo
World Press Photo
World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest....
prize for a portrait of János Kádár
János Kádár
János Kádár was a Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, presiding over the country from 1956 until his forced retirement in 1988. His thirty-two year term as General Secretary makes Kádár the longest ruler of the People's Republic of Hungary...
.
He is best known for his series of photographs documenting life behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, as well as the history of Solidarity. His picture of an Armoured Personnel Carrier
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
standing in front of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
's "Moscow" cinema screening "Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
" became one of the icons of the Martial Law in Poland
Martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
.
Biography
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to a family of Polish World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era refugees. His father used to be a public prosecutor in Vilna until the war, after 1945 he was forced to settle in the United Kingdom, where he started working for the ministry of education. Niedenthal's mother had been working for the emmigree Polish Telegraphic Agency
Polish Telegraphic Agency
Polish Telegraphic Agency was a Polish state-owned news agency established in 1918. As the only such agency in Poland at the time it was the official supplier of news on Poland both for the Polish press and foreign media . Since 1927 the PAT also issued a weekly newsreel...
. He first visited Poland in 1963 and since then he was regularly visiting the country of his parents.
He received his first photographic camera, the Kodak Starmite, at the age of 11. Soon after finishing school he joined the London College of Printing, where he graduated from a three-year photography course. In 1973 he settled in Poland and became a freelancer
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
journalist and photographer for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. His first major photoreport featured illegal churches established against the will of the ruling communist party in the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
. In 1978 Niedenthal was the first to document the town of Wadowice
Wadowice
Wadowice is a town in southern Poland, 50 km from Kraków with 19,200 inhabitants , situated on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in the eastern part of Silesian Plateau...
, the hometown of Karol Wojtyła
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
immediately after the latter had been elected pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. He also documented the pope's first visit to Poland the following year.
In 1980 Niedenthal, together with Michael Dobbs
Michael Dobbs (US author)
Michael Dobbs is an Anglo-American non-fiction author. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and educated at the University of York, graduating in 1972 with a BA in Economic & Social History, with fellowships at Princeton and Harvard. He worked as a reporter for The Washington Post, since...
, were the first foreign journalists to enter the Gdańsk Shipyard
Gdansk Shipyard
Gdańsk Shipyard is a large Polish shipyard, located in the city of Gdańsk. The yard gained international fame when Solidarity was founded there in September 1980...
during the rise of the Solidarity movement. After the communit leadership introduces martial law
Martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
, Niedenthal was one of very few foreign photographers documenting the reality in Poland for western media. He managed to smuggle many of his pictures abroad, to be published in Germany's Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
or American Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and Time. Among such pictures was one that became an icon of that part of Polish history
History of Poland
The History of Poland is rooted in the arrival of the Slavs, who gave rise to permanent settlement and historic development on Polish lands. During the Piast dynasty Christianity was adopted in 966 and medieval monarchy established...
, depicting a SKOT
OT-64 SKOT
The OT-64 SKOT is an amphibious armored personnel carrier , developed jointly by Poland and Czechoslovakia well into the 1960s.-History:OT-64 was intended to replace the halftrack OT-810, which was nearly...
APC standing in front of a cinema in Warsaw, with a large banner advertising Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
's Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
in the background. His 1986 picture of Hungarian communist leader János Kádár
János Kádár
János Kádár was a Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, presiding over the country from 1956 until his forced retirement in 1988. His thirty-two year term as General Secretary makes Kádár the longest ruler of the People's Republic of Hungary...
made it to the cover of the international edition of TIME magazine and was awarded with the World Press Photo
World Press Photo
World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest....
prize for that year.
In 1987 Niedenthal moved to Vienna to work for Time's Eastern European office, but returned to Poland soon afterwards. In 1998 he received Polish citizenship and continues to live in Poland.