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8/6/2005

Philippe Halsman

ArteF Galerie, Zurich

Vintage and original photographs

ArteF is proud to announce the second exhibition in its new premises after the successful opening show on ‘Bauhaus and Experimental Photography’ About 40 pictures by Philippe Halsman, one of the greatest masters of photography, will be on display, ranging from his charming works on fashion and advertisements to portraits, among them his famous portraits of Marilyn Monroe Life cover and Salvador Dalí ‘Dalí Atomicus’

The exhibition at ArteF Gallery is a unique event: Philippe Halsman’s work rarely has been shown in Switzerland.

For three decades, from the Forties to the Seventies, Philippe Halsman's fascinating portraits of celebrities, intellectuals, and politicians had been published on the most important picture magazines, like Look, Esquire, Saturday Evening Post, Paris Match, and Life. On Life his portraits had been published on 101 covers, a record for any artist. He worked also in fashion, advertisements and publicity for major companies. In 1958, Popular Photography named Halsman one of the "World's Ten Greatest Photographers" along with Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Ernst Haas, Yousuf Karsh, Gjon Mili, and Eugene Smith. In 1932, Philippe Halsman set up his first photographic studio in Paris. Halsman's style won him great reputation and was known as one of the best portrait photographers in France.

In the summer of 1940, when Hitler's troops invaded Paris, Halsman obtained permission to enter the United States, and he arrived in New York in November 1940, just with his camera and few stuff into his suitcase. In 1942, Halsman began his long collaboration Life which published one of his shot on the cover. Halsman liked to compare his work in portraiture to that of a psychologist who looks at his patients with special insight. As he stated: "It can't be done by pushing the person into position or arranging his head at a certain angle. It must be accomplished by provoking the victim, amusing him with jokes, lulling him with silence, or asking impertinent questions which his best friend would be afraid to voice." One of the most impressive and famous pictures by Halsman is ‘Dalì Atomicus’.

He met the Surrealist Spanish painter on assignment in 1941, and over the next three decades they became friends and enjoyed to realize many projects. "Dali Atomicus" is a master piece of technical ability and fantasy: the artist, his canvas, furniture, cats, and water all appear floating in the air. In his New York studio, Halsman suspended an easel, two paintings by Dali and a stepping stool. “Six hours and twenty-eight throws later, the result satisfied my striving for perfection,” wrote Halsman “My assistants and I were wet, dirty, and near complete exhaustion—only the cats still looked like new.” Halsman got the ‘jump’ idea for his surprising portraits in 1950 when NBC asked him to photograph many of its popular comedians. Halsman understood that comedians often jumped and always stayed in character. Later, Halsman declared that the jumps revealed spontaneous character that was otherwise hidden.

"When you ask a person to jump, his attention is mostly directed toward the act of jumping and the mask falls so that the real person appears." In the spring of 1952, Life sent him to Hollywood to photograph Marilyn Monroe. Halsman asked Monroe to stand in a corner, and placed his camera directly in front of her. Then Halsman, his assistant, and Life's reporter staged a "fiery" competition for Monroe's attention. "Surrounded by three admiring men she smiled, flirted, giggled and wriggled with delight. During the hour I kept her cornered she enjoyed herself royally, and I took between 40 to 50 pictures." Halsman was aware that to show the true one's identity had significance far beyond the needs of the celebrity marketplace. "This fascination with the human face has never left me. Every face I see seems to hide and sometimes, fleetingly, to reveal the mystery of another human being. Capturing this revelation became the goal and passion of my life."

Opening Reception: Thursday June 9, 2005, 18.00

ArteF Galerie
Splügenstrasse 11 - Zurich
Opening Times: Tuesday – Saturday, 13.00 –18.00

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