George Kalinsky
Encyclopedia
George Kalinsky is a world-renowned, award-winning photographer. He has been the official photographer for Madison Square Garden
since 1966 and also serves as the official photographer at Radio City Music Hall
. Throughout his career, Kalinsky has captured many of the greatest moments in sports and entertainment history. His artistry and reputation as a chronicler of modern popular culture were recognized in November 2010 as the National Arts Club awarded him their Medal of Honor for Photography.
Kalinsky's photos have been in many major publications, such as Sports Illustrated
, People
, Newsweek
, and The New York Times
. He is also a successful, award-winning author of ten books.
In May 2009, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened an exhibit dedicated to photographs Kalinsky has taken at some of Madison Square Garden's most legendary concerts. Many of these photographs are now part of the Museum's permanent collection.
Beginning with the 2010 baseball season, the New York Mets
, for whom Kalinsky had been the official photographer, are displaying throughout Citi Field many of the team's most magical moments as captured by Kalinsky's camera.
As the Official Photographer of Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, he has created many of the most iconic images of famous people. Newsmakers such as Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, and former Senator Bill Bradley have all stated that George Kalinsky took their favorite photograph. His portraits include presidents from Jimmy Carter to Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama to Dolly Parton. George has also captured the world’s greatest rock stars on the world’s greatest stage. His iconic shots of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder - to name a few - are all displayed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum.
The photograph that George took of Pope John Paul II holding up a little girl during a Papal Mass at Madison Square Garden was a fixture on His Eminence’s desk at the Vatican. As a gift from NBC, Jerry Seinfeld was presented with his wish – the Kalinsky legendary photo of Willis Reed limping onto the court in 1970 inspiring the Knicks to become champions. Billy Crystal asked George to be with him on stage to photograph his final Broadway performance of “700 Sundays” in 2006.
Since 2008, some of George’s most iconic photographs have been displayed on huge billboards in New York City’s Times Square, drawing the attention of millions of passersby a day. Within this spectacular exhibition, a four-story high photograph of Elvis Presley, taken during his only Madison Square Garden engagement, drew worldwide media attention.
Almost three million copies have been sold of ten books authored by Mr. Kalinsky and his photos have appeared in hundreds of books on many subjects. With over 1000 covers to his credit, his photos have graced every important magazine, including Time, People, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated.
George Kalinsky’s artistry, which has won numerous awards worldwide, has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The International Center of Photography, the Olympus Plaza Gallery in Tokyo (drawing a record crowd of 200,000 people), and now, in May 2009, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. His work is part of many permanent collections including The Governor’s Mansion in Albany, NY, The Jewish Museum of New York, the Baseball and Basketball Halls of Fame, and Madison Square Garden.
and to fans of their respective leagues. Some of the memorable moments he has covered include:
All those three championships have one thing in common: they were all won in a Game 7 at home and feature many memorable Game 7 championship series moments.
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
since 1966 and also serves as the official photographer at Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
. Throughout his career, Kalinsky has captured many of the greatest moments in sports and entertainment history. His artistry and reputation as a chronicler of modern popular culture were recognized in November 2010 as the National Arts Club awarded him their Medal of Honor for Photography.
Kalinsky's photos have been in many major publications, such as Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, 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 The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. He is also a successful, award-winning author of ten books.
In May 2009, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened an exhibit dedicated to photographs Kalinsky has taken at some of Madison Square Garden's most legendary concerts. Many of these photographs are now part of the Museum's permanent collection.
Beginning with the 2010 baseball season, the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, for whom Kalinsky had been the official photographer, are displaying throughout Citi Field many of the team's most magical moments as captured by Kalinsky's camera.
Biography
Award-winning photographer George Kalinsky has become one of the most famous image makers of our time. World-renowned, he has captured some of the greatest moments and faces in the world of sports, entertainment, and politics.As the Official Photographer of Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, he has created many of the most iconic images of famous people. Newsmakers such as Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, and former Senator Bill Bradley have all stated that George Kalinsky took their favorite photograph. His portraits include presidents from Jimmy Carter to Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama to Dolly Parton. George has also captured the world’s greatest rock stars on the world’s greatest stage. His iconic shots of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder - to name a few - are all displayed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum.
The photograph that George took of Pope John Paul II holding up a little girl during a Papal Mass at Madison Square Garden was a fixture on His Eminence’s desk at the Vatican. As a gift from NBC, Jerry Seinfeld was presented with his wish – the Kalinsky legendary photo of Willis Reed limping onto the court in 1970 inspiring the Knicks to become champions. Billy Crystal asked George to be with him on stage to photograph his final Broadway performance of “700 Sundays” in 2006.
Since 2008, some of George’s most iconic photographs have been displayed on huge billboards in New York City’s Times Square, drawing the attention of millions of passersby a day. Within this spectacular exhibition, a four-story high photograph of Elvis Presley, taken during his only Madison Square Garden engagement, drew worldwide media attention.
Almost three million copies have been sold of ten books authored by Mr. Kalinsky and his photos have appeared in hundreds of books on many subjects. With over 1000 covers to his credit, his photos have graced every important magazine, including Time, People, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated.
George Kalinsky’s artistry, which has won numerous awards worldwide, has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The International Center of Photography, the Olympus Plaza Gallery in Tokyo (drawing a record crowd of 200,000 people), and now, in May 2009, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. His work is part of many permanent collections including The Governor’s Mansion in Albany, NY, The Jewish Museum of New York, the Baseball and Basketball Halls of Fame, and Madison Square Garden.
Memorable Moments
Kalinsky has taken images that have defined the life of Madison Square Garden. He has also taken images that has become iconic to fans of the Mets, Knicks, and the RangersNew York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and to fans of their respective leagues. Some of the memorable moments he has covered include:
Championships won by New York City teams
- 1970 NBA Finals1970 NBA FinalsThe 1970 NBA Finals was a best-of-7 series for the world championship of the National Basketball Association. It featured the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks and the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers...
–Knicks defeat the Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles LakersThe Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
for their first NBA championship. - 1986 World Series1986 World SeriesThe 1986 World Series pitted the New York Mets against the Boston Red Sox. It was cited in the legend of the "Curse of the Bambino" to explain the error by Bill Buckner in Game 6 that allowed the Mets to extend the series to a seventh game...
–Mets defeat the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
to win World SeriesWorld SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. - 1994 Stanley Cup Finals1994 Stanley Cup FinalsThe 1994 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series contested between the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers and Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League...
–Rangers win Stanley Cup–first in 54 yearsCurse of 1940The Curse of 1940, also called Dutton's Curse, was a superstitious explanation for why the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League did not win the league's championship trophy, the Stanley Cup, from 1940 to 1994.-Popular theories:...
–over the Vancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
.
All those three championships have one thing in common: they were all won in a Game 7 at home and feature many memorable Game 7 championship series moments.
Political Conventions
- 1980 Democratic National Convention1980 Democratic National ConventionThe 1980 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated President Jimmy Carter for President and Vice President Walter Mondale for Vice President...
- 1992 Democratic National Convention1992 Democratic National ConventionThe 1992 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas for President and Senator Al Gore of Tennessee for Vice President; Clinton announced Gore as his running-mate on July 9, 1992. The convention was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New...
- 2004 Republican National Convention2004 Republican National ConventionThe 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York...
Other moments
- The Fight of the CenturyFight of the CenturyFight of the Century was the promotional nickname given to the first boxing match between champion Joe Frazier and challenger Muhammad Ali , held on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York....
, March 8, 1971, between champion Joe FrazierJoe FrazierJoseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
and challenger Muhammad AliMuhammad AliMuhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist... - The Concert for Bangladesh, August 1, 1971
- Ali-Frazier IIAli-Frazier IIAli vs. Frazier II was a boxing fight, the second of three bouts between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, that took place at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, on January 28, 1974.- Significance :...
, January 28, 1974 - John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's final live performance, November 28, 1974 - Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed 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 ...
's papal mass at Madison Square GardenMadison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, October 3, 1979 - Wayne GretzkyWayne GretzkyWayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
's final game, April 18, 1999 - Subway Series of 20002000 World Series-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 2000 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe opener fell on two anniversaries. Twenty-five years prior, Boston Red Sox's catcher Carlton Fisk ended Game 6 of the 1975 World Series with his famous home run off the left field foul pole in Fenway Park in Boston to beat...
- The Concert for New York CityThe Concert for New York CityThe Concert for New York City was a benefit concert, featuring many famous musicians, that took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden in New York City in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks...
to honor the victims of the September 11 attacks, October 20, 2001 - From the Big Apple to the Big EasyFrom the Big Apple to the Big EasyFrom the Big Apple to the Big Easy were NYC's Concerts for the Gulf Coast. They were also a collaborative effort between Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The purpose was to raise funds for the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The simultaneous concerts took place...
concert to raise funds for the Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
relief efforts, September 20, 2005
Honors and Awards
The following list is a sampling of the awards and distinctions bestowed upon George Kalinsky in the past ten years:- 2001 - Recipient of the highest award given by the photography industry (PMDA) as International Photographer of the Year.
- 2001 - Named "Sportsman of the Year" by the National Center for Disabilities, an organization for which he served as co-chairman.
- 2001 - Named "Man of the Year" by Pratt InstitutePratt InstitutePratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
, where he had been a design student. - 2007 - Inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
- 2008 - Recipient of Pratt InstitutePratt InstitutePratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
's Lifetime Achievement Award. - 2010 - New York City Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
- 2010 - Recipient of National Arts Club's Medal of Honor for Photography.
- Served on the Fulbright Scholarship Foundation
- Included in New York Resident's list of top 100 New Yorkers.