Louis Stettner
Encyclopedia
Louis Stettner is an American photographer of the 20th century whose work includes streetscapes, portraits and architectural images of New York and Paris. His work has been highly regarded because of its humanity and capturing the life and reality of the people and streets of both cities. Since 1947, Stettner has photographed the changes in the people, culture, and architecture of both cities. Now in his 80s, he continues to photograph New York and Paris.
where he began his love of art.
At 18, in 1940, Stettner enlisted in the army and became a combat photographer in Europe for the Signal Corps. After a brief stint in Europe he was sent to New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan. Back from the war he joined the Photo League in New York. Stettner visited Paris in 1946 and in 1947 moved there. From 1947 to 1949 he studied at the "Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques" in Paris and received a Bachelor of Arts in Photography & Cinema. He went back and forth between New York and Paris for almost two decades and finally settled permanently in Saint-Ouen
, near Paris, in 1990. Stettner still frequently returns to New York.
, Brassaï
, Édouard Boubat
, Izis, and Ronis
. The show was a big success and was largely reviewed in the annual issue of U.S. Camera. Stettner had begun a series of regular meetings with Brassaï who was a great mentor and had significant influence on his work. In 1949, Stettner had his first exhibition at the “Salon des Indépendants" at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.
In 1951 his work was included in the famous Subjektive Fotografie exhibition in Germany.
During the 1950s he free-lanced for Time, Life, Fortune, and Du (Germany). While in Paris he reconnected with Paul Strand
who had also left New York because of political intolerance of the Mc Carthy era–both Strand had been a founder of the Photo League that would be blacklisted then banned during those years.
In the 1970s Stettner spent more time in New york City where he taught at Brooklyn College, Queens College, and Cooper Union.
In his own work, Stettner focused on documenting the lives of the working class in both Paris and New York. He felt and still believes that the cities belong to the people that live there, not the tourists and visitors. His upbringing caused him to take great care in capturing the simple human dignity of the working class. He also captured great architectural images of both cities including bridges, buildings and monuments.
The subjects and series included:
His work has produced in well-known images including: Aubervilliers, Brooklyn Promenade, Twin Towers with Sea Gull, Penn Station, and the Statue of Liberty, Battery Park.
Stettner has received numerous honors and in 1950 he was named Life
’s top new photographer. In 1975 he won First Prize in the Pravda World Contest.
Biography
Louis Stettner was born on November 7, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York where he was raised as one of four children. His father was a cabinet maker and Louis learned the trade when young, using the money to support his growing love of photography. He was given a box camera as a child and his love affair with photography began. His family went on trips to Manhattan and visited museums including the Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
where he began his love of art.
At 18, in 1940, Stettner enlisted in the army and became a combat photographer in Europe for the Signal Corps. After a brief stint in Europe he was sent to New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan. Back from the war he joined the Photo League in New York. Stettner visited Paris in 1946 and in 1947 moved there. From 1947 to 1949 he studied at the "Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques" in Paris and received a Bachelor of Arts in Photography & Cinema. He went back and forth between New York and Paris for almost two decades and finally settled permanently in Saint-Ouen
Saint-Ouen, Seine-Saint-Denis
Saint-Ouen is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. It is located in the northern suburbs of Paris, France 6.6 km from the centre of Paris....
, near Paris, in 1990. Stettner still frequently returns to New York.
Photography
Stettner's professional work in Paris began with capturing life in the post-war recovery. He captured the everyday lives of his subjects. In the tradition of the Photo League, he wanted to investigate the bonds that connected people regardless of class. In 1947 he was asked by the same Photo League to organize an exhibition of French photographers in New York. He gathered the works of some of the greatest photographers of the era, including DoisneauRobert Doisneau
Robert Doisneau was a French photographer. In the 1930s he used a Leica on the streets of Paris; together with Henri Cartier-Bresson he was a pioneer of photojournalism...
, Brassaï
Brassaï
Brassaï was a Hungarian photographer, sculptor, and filmmaker who rose to international fame in France in the 20th century. He was one of the numerous Hungarian artists who flourished in Paris beginning between the World Wars...
, Édouard Boubat
Edouard Boubat
Edouard Boubat was a French art photographer.-Life and work:Boubat was born in Montmartre, Paris. He studied typography and graphic arts at the Ecole Estienne, and then worked for a printing company before becoming a photographer after WWII. He took his first photograph in 1946 and was awarded the...
, Izis, and Ronis
Willy Ronis
Willy Ronis was a French photographer, the best-known of whose work shows life in post-war Paris and Provence.-Early life:...
. The show was a big success and was largely reviewed in the annual issue of U.S. Camera. Stettner had begun a series of regular meetings with Brassaï who was a great mentor and had significant influence on his work. In 1949, Stettner had his first exhibition at the “Salon des Indépendants" at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.
In 1951 his work was included in the famous Subjektive Fotografie exhibition in Germany.
During the 1950s he free-lanced for Time, Life, Fortune, and Du (Germany). While in Paris he reconnected with Paul Strand
Paul Strand
Paul Strand was an American photographer and filmmaker who, along with fellow modernist photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century...
who had also left New York because of political intolerance of the Mc Carthy era–both Strand had been a founder of the Photo League that would be blacklisted then banned during those years.
In the 1970s Stettner spent more time in New york City where he taught at Brooklyn College, Queens College, and Cooper Union.
In his own work, Stettner focused on documenting the lives of the working class in both Paris and New York. He felt and still believes that the cities belong to the people that live there, not the tourists and visitors. His upbringing caused him to take great care in capturing the simple human dignity of the working class. He also captured great architectural images of both cities including bridges, buildings and monuments.
The subjects and series included:
- New York 1946 to present
- The Penn Station Series
- The Subways Series
- Wall Street Series
- Brooklyn Bridge
- The Seine Series
- The Bowery
- The Workers Series
- Early Paris
His work has produced in well-known images including: Aubervilliers, Brooklyn Promenade, Twin Towers with Sea Gull, Penn Station, and the Statue of Liberty, Battery Park.
Stettner has received numerous honors and in 1950 he was named Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
’s top new photographer. In 1975 he won First Prize in the Pravda World Contest.
Museums containing work by Stettner
- Addison Gallery of American ArtAddison Gallery of American ArtThe Addison Gallery of American Art, as a department of Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, is an academic museum dedicated to collecting American art...
, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA - Art Institute of ChicagoArt Institute of ChicagoThe School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, Chicago - Bibliothèque historique de la ville de ParisBibliothèque historique de la ville de ParisThe Bibliothèque historique de la ville de Paris, commonly abbreviated with the acronym BHVP, is a public library specializing in the history of the city of Paris...
- Bibliothèque Nationale de FranceBibliothèque nationale de FranceThe is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
, Paris - Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn
- Cleveland Museum of ArtCleveland Museum of ArtThe Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
, Cleveland - International Center of PhotographyInternational Center of PhotographyThe International Center of Photography is a photography museum, school, and research center in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
, New York - Jewish MuseumJewish MuseumJewish Museum may refer to:Australia* Jewish Museum of Australia, Melbourne, VictoriaAustria* Jewish Museum ViennaCzech Republic* Jewish Museum of PragueDenmark* Danish Jewish Museum, CopenhagenGeorgia...
Berlin - Los Angeles County Museum of ArtLos Angeles County Museum of ArtThe Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
- LACMA, Los Angeles - Maison Européenne de la PhotographieMaison européenne de la photographieThe Maison Européenne de la Photographie, situated in the historic heart of Paris, is a major centre for contemporary photographic art. Since February 1996 it has housed an exhibition centre, a large library, an auditorium, and a video viewing facility with a wide selection of films...
, Paris - Merrill Lynch Art Collection, New York
- Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, New York - Microsoft Art Collection, Seattle
- Montana Museum of Art and Culture, Missoula, MT
- Carnavalet MuseumCarnavalet MuseumThe Carnavalet Museum in Paris is dedicated to the history of the city. The museum occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau...
, Paris - Museum of Fine ArtsMuseum of Fine Arts, BostonThe Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
, Boston - Musée de l’Elysee, Lausanne
- Musée de l’Elysee, Paris
- Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, New York - Museum of the City of New YorkMuseum of the City of New YorkThe Museum of the City of New York is an art gallery and history museum founded in 1923 to present the history of New York City, USA and its people...
- New York Public LibraryNew York Public LibraryThe New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
, New York - San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco
- San Francisco Museum of Modern ArtSan Francisco Museum of Modern ArtThe San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, San Francisco - Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Washington, DC - Victoria and Albert MuseumVictoria and Albert MuseumThe Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, London - Whitney Museum of Art, New York
Select exhibitions
- What's New: Recent Acquisitions in Photography. Whitney Museum of American ArtWhitney Museum of American ArtThe Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, New York, 2001 - Star Spangled Spirit. Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, 2002
- City Streets. Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Fla, 2003
- Photographies récentes par Louis Stettner. Galerie Marion Meyer, Paris, 2003
- Full House: Views from the Whitney's Collection at 75. Whitney Museum of American ArtWhitney Museum of American ArtThe Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, New York, 2006 - Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, 2006
- Louis Stettner: Photographien. Camera Work, Berlin, 2006
- Louis Stettner: Streetwise. Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, 2006
- Fotografía Contemporánea. Museo Nacional de Bellas ArtesMuseo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Santiago de Chile)The Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts , located in Santiago, Chile, is one of the major centers for the arts both in Chile and in the larger region of South America...
, Santiago, 2006 - "Louis Stettner. Photographien". Johanna Breede PHOTOKUNST 2009
Selected books and portfolios
- Paris-New York. Paris, New York: Two Cities Publications, 1949. Portfolio of 10 photographs, introduction by Brassaï.
- Workers: Twenty-Four Photographs. New York: Stettner Studio, 1974. Portfolio.
- Women. New York: Stettner Studio, 1976. Portfolio of 22 photographs.
- Sur le Tas. Paris: Cercle d’Art, 1979. ISBN 2702201296. Book of 156 photographs, introduction by François Cavanna.
- Early Joys: Photographs from 1947-1972. New York: Janet Iffland, 1987. ISBN 0961848200. Introduction by Brassaï.
- Louis Stettner: New York, 1994. Kempen, New York: Te Neues; Paris, Flammarion, 1993. ISBN 3823814435.
- Sous le ciel de Paris. Paris: Parigramme, 1994. ISBN 2840961938. Introduction by François Cavanna.
- Louis Stettner's New York, 1950s–1990s. New York: Rizzoli, 1997. ISBN 0847820041.
- Louis Stettner: American photographer, Paris: Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum Aachen, 11. Januar-9. März 1997. Aachen: Museum der Stadt Aachen, Suermondt-Ludwig Museum, 1997. ISBN 3929203154.
- Louis Stettner. Collection Photo Poche. Paris: Nathan, 1998. ISBN 2097541267. Introduction by François Bernheim.
- Louis Stettner: Wisdom Cries Out in the Streets. Paris: Flammarion, 1999. ISBN 2-08013-673-9.
- Louis Stettner: Sophisme, photographies 1990–1999. Neuchâtel: Ides et Callendes, 1999. Text by Michèle Auer.
- Chile en el corazón. Santiago: LOM, 2001. ISBN 9562823946.
Selected essays and books by Louis Stettner
- De "l'objectivité nouvelle" à la "photographie subjective". Antwerp: Gevaert, 1953.
- 35 mm Photography, editor. U.S. Camera Co., 1956.
- History of the Nude in American Photography, editor. New York: Fawcett, 1966.
- Weegee the Famous, editor. New York: Knopf, 1978.
- “Cézanne’s Apple and the Photo League,” Aperture, no. 112 (Fall 1988), pp. 14–35
External links
- Stettner's site with over 250 images