BIOGRAPHY
LOUIS STETTNER
1922 Born November 7, in Brooklyn, New York
1936 Starts photographing.
1938 Encouraged by Alfred Stieglitz and Paul Strand.
1940-41 Enlists in United States Army.
Sent to study engineering at Princeton University.
1942-45 Combat photographer with the U.S. Infantry in the Pacific.
1947-52 Lives in Paris and organizes the first exhibition of French photography in the U.S. (with photographers such as Brassai, Izis,
Boubat, Doisneau, Ronis, etc.).
On going friendship with Brassai, who is his maitre.
Works as freelance photographer for various magazines in Europe and U.S.
Studies at IDHEC, Paris University for cinema.
Photographs Paris continually during this period.
1949 First exhibits in Salon des Independents, Bibliotheque Nationale.
1952 Returns to the United States
Photographs New York.
Works as freelance photographer.
1952-71 Periodic trips to photograph Paris, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Holland and Mexico.
1972-74 Photographic study of Workers.
Continues to photograph New York.
1981-84 Photographic series of still lifes, nudes and landscapes.
1990 Returns to France permanently to live and work in Saint-Ouen (Seine Saint Denis).
1990-97 Photographs Paris.
Works on several series, including Marche aux Puces, Croissants, Tetes du Metro, and Tetes du Louvre.
Does Bronze sculptures
Periodic visits to photograph New York.
Birth: November 7, 1922. Brooklyn, New York
Education: 1952 – 56 B.A., Photography and Cinema, I.D.H.E.C. and Paris University
Selected Exhibitions (after 1985):
2012
"Retrospective-Bibliotheque National de France, Paris France
2010
"AD-Galerie (Photographs, paintings, and sculpture), Genol Switzerland
2009
"Retrospective, Base sous-marine (Photographs, paintings, and sculpture), Bordeaux Paris/New York, Johanne Breede Gallery, Berlin
"Louis Stettner: Trésor des Rue," Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, NY
2007
"Louis Stettner: Photographiesé – Peintures – Sculptures" La Galerie du Saint – James, Bouliac, France
2006
"Full House: Views of the Whitney's Collection at 75," Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
"20/30 Vision: An Anniversary Celebration"; Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, NY
Camerawork Gallery, Berlin Germany
"Streetwise: 1947-2006," Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York
"Many Hands: Representation of Railroad Workers" New York
Transit Museum, New York, NY
2004
"Water Water Everywhere" Andrea Meislin Gallery, New York, NY
2003
"Les Choix d'Henri Cartier Bresson," Fondation Henri Cartier Bresson, Paris, France
"Women: A Celebration"; Orange County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
2002
"Unseen Stettner: 1946-2002," Bonni Benrubi Gallery, NY
"What's New: Recent Acquisitions in Photography", Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC
"Let's Have Lunch", COPIA Center for Wine Food & the Arts, Napa, CA
"Visions From America: Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC
"New York, New York", The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
2000
"Bright Lights, Big City, Winston Wachter Mayer Fine Art, New York, NY
"Recent Work," Librairie Mouvements, Paris, France
"Paris – New York", l'Espace Saint-Bernardin, Le Cannet, France
Photograph + Monograph", Bonni Benrubi Gallery, NYC, NY
1999
"Bright Lights, Big City", Winston Wachter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
"Wisdom Cries Out in the Streets" Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, NY
1998
Fifty from the Fifties: Galerie Uterman, Dortmund, Germany
1997
"New York / Paris" Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, NY
"Brooklyn, NY", Bonni Benrubi Gallery, NYC
1996
Whitney Museum of American Art
"Train of Thought," Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, NY
Hirschl & Adler Modern Gallery, New York, NY
Lallak & Tom, Gallery, Chicago, Il
Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York
"Readers" , The Grolier Club, New York
Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York
1994
"Five on New York", Bonni Benrubi Gallery, NYC
1992
Center of Photography, Geneva
Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York
Photography Gallery, Malaga
1990
Galerie Agathe Baillard, Paris
Gallery Zaragoza, Spain
Vision Gallery, San Francisco
1989
Comptoire de la Photographie, Paris
Kate Hellner Gallery, London
Berenson Gallery, Berlin
1987
Photofind Gallery, New York
1985
International Center of Photography, New York
Selected Collections:
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Smithsonian Museum, Washington, D.C.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts, New York
Microsoft Art Collection, Redmond, WA
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
San Francisco Museum of Art, California
Victoria-Albert Museum, London
Musee Carnavalet, Paris
Bibliotheque Historique, Paris
Musee d'Elysee, Lausanne
International Center of Photography, New York
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
Reader's Digest Foundation Collection
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Merill Lynch & Companies Art Collection
The Jewish Museum, New York, NY
Siegal & Gale Collection, New York, NY
The Buhl Collection, New York, NY
Selected Publications:
"Stettner Photos, Burckhardt Oils, New Spanierman: 57th Street"; Bloomberg.com ; exhibition review by Michael Killeen, July 11, 2006
"Louis Stettner: Streetwise 1947-2006" Review by Grace Glueck, The New YorkTimes, July 7, 2006
"Louis Stettner", The New Yorker, June 19, 2006
" In Love with Paris & New York: Louis Stettner"; Exhibition review, by William Meyers, The New York Sun, Thursday June, 29 2006
"Spotlight: Louis Stettner:; Black & White Magazine Issue 40, December 2005
"Le Reveil des Combattants"; ARAC, 204
Les Choix D'Henri Cartier Bresson; Foundation Cartier-Bresson, 2003
"Louis Stettner: Unseen Stettner 1946-2002;" by Sarah Douglas, The Art Newspaper; January 2003
Women: A Celebration; Chronicle books, 2003
"Louis Stettner: Unseen Stettner 1946-2002" The New York Times; December 20, 2002
Wisdom Cries Out in the Streets: Louis Stettner, Abbeyville Press, 1999
Louis Stettner, (Photo Poche), Nathan Press, 1998
"Leg" Donna Karan, 1997
Louis Stettner's New York, Rizzoli, Winter 1997
"Under Paris Skies: Louis Stettner's Photographs"; The Chicago Tribune, February 21, 1997
"Passage of Light"; Where Chicago; March 1997
Choo-Choo- Baby: Louis Stettner's Penn Station"; Vanity Fair; Mach 1996
"Choo Choo, Baby", Vanity Fair Magazine, March 1996, p. 106
"Sous Le Ciel de Paris", Intro. by Cavanna, Parigramme, Paris, 1994
"Early Joys", (Photographs from 1947 - 72), Janet Iffland, New York, 1987
"Sur Le Tas", Cercle d'Art, Paris, 1979
"Streets of Paris", Introduction by Brassai, Paris, 1947
LOUIS STETTNER has had a long and distinguished career in photography. Starting at the age of thirteen, encouraged by Alfred Steiglitz and Paul Strand, his photographs are now in such permanent collections as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
While there have been significant exhibitions in the United States and Europe, his work remains relatively unknown to the general public. Greatly appreciated by fellow photographers and discerning collectors, the problem as photography critic Kelly Wise aptly states: "rarely is his work shown in breadth." Which is precisely the purpose of his book Early Joys. Slowly a legend has blossomed about his early photographs (1947 - 1972) that has strongly influenced young photographers. Yet its true scope and depth has been only available to those fortunate enough to visit his print room.
There is a most stirring and perceptive Introduction by his teacher and lifelong friend, the famous French photographer Brassai (Stettner is the only photographer to be honored): "Stettner has always been fully conscious that the role of the photographer is not to turn away from all reference to reality, but on the contrary to express a profound experience with it."
There is the photographer's own observations about the photographs included, as well as an in-depth statement about his fundamental outlook to his Art entitled Case for the Indestructible Image. With the bibliography are essays and reviews (covering 25 years) by noted photography critics that clarifies and enriches our appreciation and enjoyment of his photographs. The book Early Joys should become a classic reference to the photographs of this great American photographer.
--From Early Joys