Steve Shapiro: Living America. "Living America": an exhibition of photographs by Steve Shapiro Excerpts from an interview with Steve Shapiro

Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art (St. Petersburg) presents a large-scale retrospective exhibition of the legendary photographer Steve Schapiro. The exhibition will last from April 8 to July 3. Admission for participants is free, with prior accreditation. The vernissage will take place on April 7, at 19:00. The exhibition will be opened by Steve Shapiro himself.

In the turbulent 1960s, Shapiro traveled across America, from coast to coast, compiling a photographic chronicle of people's lives with all the issues that worried them. His photo essays have appeared in such publications as Life, Time, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, People, Newsweek and Vanity Fair. Shapiro set himself the task of making a portrait of the era, showing in this time frame the iconic personalities and ordinary people who later became the new American generation. Shapiro was involved in various social circles; both Harlem drug addicts and hollywood celebrities. Despite such thematic differentiation, each of his works is a precisely calibrated composition and an ideal balance of black and white.

Shapiro's career began in 1961, during the so-called "golden age of photojournalism." Shapiro, who was a documentarian and at the same time an activist, managed to capture the formation and flowering of the hippie movement and protests against the Vietnam War, rallies of the Movement for civil rights blacks in the United States, including the Selma to Montgomery marches for equal voting rights and the March on Washington, during which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Later, Shapiro was the first photographer at the scene of the assassination of Martin Luther King, and it was his photographs of this tragedy that spread throughout the world.

Shapiro also did not ignore the vibrant art scene of that time: the exhibition includes portraits of Francis Bacon and René Magritte, Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenberg. He literally documented the life of Andy Warhol's Factory studio, worked on numerous projects with Barbra Streisand and David Bowie, and created famous portraits of Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, Tina Turner and Yves Montand. It was he who managed to capture the character and special charisma of such famous actors and directors as Dustin Hoffman, Robert de Niro, Katharine Hepburn and Mia Farrow, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Roman Polanski. His “heroes” were Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Muhammad Ali, Robert Kennedy, Truman Capote and Samuel Beckett.

All this makes Steve Shapiro’s photography incredibly relevant for today’s Russia, because it was in those distant 60s that an equal civil society was formed in the United States. People defended their position, resorting exclusively to methods of nonviolent resistance, influenced and, ultimately, changed the history of their country.

The exhibition at Erarta will show more than 100 photographs of this important period, touching on major events in the socio-political and cultural life of the United States. The exhibition is divided into blocks dedicated to the theme of civic statements, icons of the art and music scenes, as well as genre street photography. In addition, the curator of the exhibition, Anastasia Lepikhova, managed to put together another block dedicated to the special project “The Godfather. Family album." The project consists of color photographs by Steve Shapiro taken during the filming of Francis Ford Coppola's legendary trilogy. In addition to recognizable images - Marlon Brando with a cat, the dying Pacino and the famous “whisper” - the exhibition will also feature new, never before published photographs.

In the heady 1960s, Steve Schapiro traveled across America, from coast to coast, photographing people's lives and all the issues that worried them. His photo essays have appeared in such publications as Life, Time, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, People, Newsweek and Vanity Fair. Shapiro set himself the task of making a portrait of the era, showing in this time frame the iconic personalities and ordinary people who later became the new American generation. Shapiro was involved in various social circles; both Harlem drug addicts and Hollywood celebrities came into his lens. Despite such thematic differentiation, each of his works is a precisely calibrated composition and an ideal balance of black and white.

Shapiro's career began in 1961, during the so-called "golden age of photojournalism." Shapiro, who was a documentarian and an activist at the same time, managed to capture the formation and rise of the hippie movement and protests against the Vietnam War, rallies of the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States, including the Selma to Montgomery marches for equal voting rights and The March on Washington, during which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Later, Shapiro was the first photographer at the scene of the assassination of Martin Luther King, and it was his photographs of this tragedy that spread throughout the world.

Shapiro also did not ignore the vibrant art scene of that time: the exhibition includes portraits of Francis Bacon and René Magritte, Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenberg. He literally documented the life of Andy Warhol's Factory studio, worked on numerous projects with Barbra Streisand and David Bowie, and created famous portraits of Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, Tina Turner and Yves Montand. It was he who managed to capture the character and special charisma of such famous actors and directors as Dustin Hoffman, Robert de Niro, Katharine Hepburn and Mia Farrow, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Roman Polanski. His “heroes” were Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Muhammad Ali, Robert Kennedy, Truman Capote and Samuel Beckett.

All this makes Steve Shapiro’s photography incredibly relevant for today’s Russia, because it was in those distant 60s that an equal civil society was formed in the United States. People defended their position, resorting exclusively to methods of nonviolent resistance, influenced and, ultimately, changed the history of their country.

The exhibition at Erarta will show more than 100 photographs of this important period, touching on major events in the socio-political and cultural life of the United States. The exhibition is divided into blocks dedicated to the theme of civic statements, icons of the art and music scenes, as well as genre street photography.

A retrospective exhibition of American photographer Steve Shapiro opens today at the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography.

Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography
October 23 - December 9, 2012,
Moscow, Bolotnaya embankment, 3, building 1

Today, the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography opens the exhibition “Steve Shapiro. Living America" ​​is the first retrospective of American photographer Steve Shapiro in Moscow.

During the heady 1960s, Shapiro traveled across America from coast to coast to capture people, their lives and the issues that worried them. His photo essays have appeared in such publications as Life, Time, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, People, Newsweek and Vanity Fair. Shapiro set himself the task of making a portrait of the era, showing in this time frame the iconic personalities and ordinary people who later became the new generation of America. The exhibition includes more than 100 photographs from this period, touching on major events in the socio-political and cultural life of the United States. The exhibition is divided into blocks devoted to topics such as civic expression, portraits of icons of the art and music scenes, as well as genre street photography of the 1960s. Shapiro was involved in various social circles; both Harlem drug addicts and Hollywood celebrities came into his lens. Despite such thematic differentiation, each of his works is a precisely calibrated composition and an ideal balance of black and white.

Shapiro's career began in 1961, during the so-called "golden age of photojournalism." Shapiro, a documentarian and activist at the same time, managed to capture the formation and rise of the hippie movement and protests against the Vietnam War, rallies of the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States, including the Selma-Montgomery Marches for equal voting rights and the Washington March, during where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Later, Shapiro was the first photographer to be at the scene of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and it was his legendary photographs of this tragedy that spread throughout the world. All this makes Steve Shapiro’s photography incredibly relevant for today’s Russia, because it was in those distant 1960s that an equal civil society was taking shape in the United States. People defended their position, resorting exclusively to methods of nonviolent resistance, influenced and, ultimately, changed the history of their country.

Shapiro also paid attention to the vibrant art scene of that time: the exhibition includes portraits of Francis Bacon and René Magritte, Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenberg. He literally documented the life of Andy Warhol's Factory studio, worked on numerous projects with Barbra Stisand and David Bowie, and created famous portraits of Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, Tina Turner and Yves Montand. It was he who managed to capture the character and special charisma of such famous actors and directors as Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Katharine Hepburn and Mia Farrow, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Roman Polanski. His “heroes” were Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Muhammad Ali, Robert Kennedy, Truman Capote and Samuel Beckett.

A separate hall of the exhibition “Living America” is dedicated to the special project - “The Godfather. Family Album,” which includes color photographs by Steve Shapiro taken during the filming of Francis Ford Coppola’s legendary trilogy. In addition to recognizable images - Marlon Brando with a cat, the “dying” Pacino and the famous “whisper”, the exhibition will include photographs that have never been published before.

In 1968, his photographs were selected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the exhibition "Harlem On My Mind". Steve Shapiro's works are in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution (Washington), the High Museum of Art (Atlanta), and the National Portrait Gallery (Washington). Solo exhibitions Shapiro has recently been shown in Los Angeles (Fahey/Klein Gallery), Amsterdam (Wouter van Leeuwn Gallery), London (Hamiltons Gallery) and Paris (Gallerie Thierry Marlat). His monographic albums have been published by Taschen, Arena Editions and PowerHouse Books.

As part of the exhibition, Steve Shapiro will hold a creative meeting and autograph session.

Curator: Anastasia Lepikhova

Source: press release from the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography

Moscow, Center for Photography named after the Lumiere Brothers, Bolotnaya embankment, building 3, building 1

At the beginning of 2013, the Moscow Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography hosted a retrospective exhibition of American photographer Steve Shapiro, “Living America.” During the heady 1960s, Shapiro traveled across America from coast to coast to capture people, their lives and illuminate the issues that worried them. His photo essays have appeared in such publications as Life, Time, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, People, Newsweek and Vanity Fair.

We thank Olga Korovkina for her help in preparing the publication,

We thank the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography
for photographs provided for publication.

1. Bob Mackey and Ray Ajian. Pop diva mannequins, Los Angeles. 1974

Shapiro set himself the task of making a portrait of the era, showing in this time frame the iconic personalities and ordinary people who later became the new generation of America. The exhibition includes more than 100 works from that period, touching on major events in the socio-political and cultural life of the United States and devoted to such topics as civic expression, portraits of icons of the art and music scene, as well as genre street photography of the 60s.

Shapiro was involved in various social circles; both Harlem drug addicts and Hollywood celebrities came into his lens. Despite such thematic differentiation, each of his works is a precisely calibrated composition and an ideal balance of black and white.

Shapiro's career began in 1961, during the so-called "golden age of photojournalism." Shapiro, a documentarian and activist at the same time, managed to capture the emergence and rise of the hippie movement, protests against the Vietnam War, and rallies of the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States, including the Selma-Montgomery March for equal voting rights and the March on Washington ( 1963), during which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Later, Shapiro was the first photographer at the scene of the assassination of Martin Luther King - it was his legendary photographs of this tragedy that spread throughout the world.

2. Robert Kennedy's election campaign, California. 1966

All this makes Steve Shapiro’s photography incredibly relevant for today’s Russia, because it was in those distant 60s that an equal civil society was taking shape in the United States. People defended their position, resorting exclusively to methods of non-violent resistance, influenced and ultimately changed the history of their country.

Shapiro also did not ignore the vibrant art scene of that time: the exhibition includes portraits of Francis Bacon and Rene Magritte, Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenberg. He literally documented the life of Andy Warhol's Factory studio, worked on numerous projects with Barbra Streisand and David Bowie, and created famous portraits of Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, Tina Turner and Yves Montand. It was he who managed to capture the character and special charisma of such famous actors and directors as Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Katharine Hepburn and Mia Farrow, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Roman Polanski. His “heroes” were Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Muhammad Ali, Robert Kennedy, Truman Capote and Samuel Beckett.

A separate room of the exhibition “Living America” was dedicated to the special project “The Godfather. Family Album,” which includes color photographs by Steve Shapiro taken during the filming of Coppola’s legendary trilogy. In addition to recognizable images - Marlon Brando with a cat, the dying Pacino and the famous “whisper”, the exhibition includes photographs that have never been published before.

Steve Shapiro's works are in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution (Washington), the High Museum of Art (Atlanta), and the National Portrait Gallery (Washington). Shapiro has recently had solo exhibitions in Los Angeles (Fahey/Klein Gallery), Amsterdam (Wouter van Leeuwn Gallery), London (Hamiltons Gallery) and Paris (Gallerie Thierry Marlat). His photo albums have been published by Taschen, Arena Editions and PowerHouse Books.

3. Barbra Streisand with a pearl earring. Los Angeles. 1960s

Excerpts from an interview with Steve Shapiro

— When I started working, this time was called the “golden age of journalistic photography.” If you had ideas, you could always find a magazine that would hire you, pay your expenses, and let you create a story. This doesn't happen anymore - it's a much tougher time for young photographers, it's hard to find a place where their work is needed. And if you don't see that your work is needed, it's a little discouraging.

There are two most important things in photography. I constantly repeat one of them: everyone sees an object in a special way, we all see the world around us in my own way. For example, there are three photographers who see the world in the same way, but their photographs turn out completely different. They are all famous photographers, but at the same time they are completely different, which is why each of these photographers has their own point of view.

It is important for a young photographer to develop his way of seeing, his way of looking at things. And the other important thing is to shoot what you care about, because if you care about your characters, you're emotionally involved in what you're doing.

Another important note: digital photography allows you to see photos immediately after you click the shutter. And you have to look at what you photographed and ask yourself: How can I do this better? What can I do to make this photo special? How can I add more emotion to it? I have to feel the person I photograph, feel his soul...

— John Kennedy was one of those who aroused my greatest respect. And he was a very admired person. It was very important for him to feel like a president because it showed that he could change the direction of the country to create a state that truly cares about its citizens and all its people.

And this was not a desire for money or power, and it was not the satisfaction of one’s ego. He didn't want to say, "Hey, I'm the President of the United States, or I aspire to be the President of the United States." It was something much more: he felt that he wanted to help people, that he wanted to make the world a better place and make the country better, make it more caring for people who need support and need more help than they are getting now. I wanted to use photographs to show how people loved him, how people cared about him, because I knew that he cared about them...

— Sometimes you meet people who don’t want to be photographed. They have to agree because all the PR people say it's good. I worked with a famous writer, his name was Robber Lowell, he is a famous American poet. And I did a story for a magazine
Life. I could tell he wanted to be in Life magazine, but at the same time he was so pretentious that the idea of ​​being published in Life didn't seem so good to him. He never once offered me a cup of coffee, and I worked with him for six or seven days in his house, and in that house I was never offered a cup of coffee or anything! You can tell he did it simply because he had to.

“I got to work with people who had a relaxing effect on me, I could have fun with them, it was a kind of adventure. And if you are lucky, such work turns into collaboration. One of those people was Steve Martin.

I made a poster for the movie Parenthood. I bought a huge sofa - so that everyone could fit on it, and Steve had to stand during the shooting. Steve asked me, “What if I held the kids upside down?” And it became a poster! Sometimes collaborating with talented people helps a lot; they come to you with ideas that are better than yours.

“I worked with Woody Allen on the film Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex.” It was funny because all the situations were funny, all the characters were funny, and the whole movie was very relaxed and funny.

— Dustin Hoffman. The great thing about Dustin is that he has a wonderful sense of humor and is always relaxed, he jokes all the time, he is a pleasure to hang out with.

— I grew up in New York. As a teenager, I visited the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art every weekend. There was a painting by Velazquez of an old man that I loved to look at every week. I've always loved to draw. Among contemporary artists I like Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.

— Many photographers love Robert Frank for his book The Americans, for its strong emotional photographs. He inspired a whole generation of photographers, including me.

I like Henri Cartier-Bresson for his ability to capture the decisive moment, which I also tried to replicate.

Irving Penn, whose photographs are very stylish, they convey to you the feelings of the people he photographed.

Walker Evans and Dorothea Lang, who created powerful images of America during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

— I don’t know very well about modern Russian photography. I know Rodchenko. Everyone knows Rodchenko! And I love what he did stylistically with all the angles and things like that.

4. Dustin Hoffman and director Bob Fosse, Miami. 1981

5. Truman Capote with a cat, Holcomb, Kansas. 1967

6. Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgwick and entourage, New York. 1965

7. René Magritte, Museum of Modern Art, New York. 1965

8. Girls under the bridge, Coney Island, New York. 1960

9. Woman with a poodle in a beauty salon, New York. 1961

10. Woody Allen with an ant on a leash