Herwald, Margi
Cleveland Jewish News
02-21-2003
No matter how much time passes, images of our most important experiences
become etched in memory. Victorious soldiers struggle to plant a flag. An
exuberant sailor celebrates by kissing a nurse he's never met. A
homerun-hitting legend leaves the field. And the snap of a shutter
preserves these moments forever.
'Photography is able to capture a real-time exact moment,' says Steve
Hartman, owner of The Contessa Gallery. In the age before 24-hour TV news,
'we as a nation and as a world learned about politics, sports, war through
the eyes of photographers. Their pictures influenced history.'
Hartman has assembled an exclusive exhibit of 108 famous and
never-before-seen photographs culled from the archives of LIFE Magazine,
the Associated Press and the George Eastman House Museum. Dating between
1852 and September 11, 2001, the one-of-a-kind exhibition, 'Images of Our
Time,' will be on display at The Contessa Gallery through May 31. Only four
of the many images were taken with color film.
'I've always liked history, and photography has been able to capture
history in a way no other medium in art could,' says Hartman, who admits
his own photography skill is more of the family vacation variety.
Hartman began the process of 'curating' the exhibition over two years ago.
With a gallery known for the high caliber of its displays, including an
acclaimed Rembrandt show recently, he vowed only to do a photography show
if it would be 'museum quality.' It is only in the last five years, he
asserts, that photography has come to be considered 'fine art' and found
its place in major museums and at high-end auctions.
'Images of Our Time' contains originals or signed prints of some of
history's most memorable images by legendary photographers, many of them
Jewish. 'A lot are one-of-a-kind vintage photos with markings and wear from
handling,' Hartman explains. 'Some have bent corners. Some have photo
stamps from when they were used for LIFE Magazine.'
All 108 photos in the Contessa show are for sale, ranging between $500 and
$49,000 each. Each comes complete with a certificate of authenticity and
letter that explains where and in what context the photo was originally
published, including a 'chain of custody' to track where the photo has been
since its printing. Purchasers will also be given a reproduction of the
original magazine article for which the photo was used. In many cases, it
is the first time these photos have been available for sale.
The exhibition includes the original prints of four Pulitzer Prize winners:
'Old Glory Goes Up on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima' taken by Joe Rosenthal in
1945; 'Kennedy and Eisenhower at Camp David' by Paul Vathis in 1961;
'Vietnam POW Released' by Sal Veder in 1973; and 'The Babe Bows Out' by Nat
Fein in 1948, the only sports picture ever to win a Pulitzer.
Hartman has also included photographs of famous politicians and artists and
iconic images like Andreas Feininger's legendary landscape of Route 66.
Jewish photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995) will be prominently
featured in the exhibit. Born in Poland, 'Eisie' was called the Father of
Photojournalism and was one of the first to ever use a 35-mm camera. He
took over a million photographs, including 2,500 assignments and 92 covers
for LIFE Magazine. For his show, Hartman has secured several legendary
Eisenstaedt shots, including 'Premiere at La Scala,' 'Future Ballerinas of
the American Ballet Theatre,' and 'Jubilant American Sailor on V-J Day,'
the 1945 snapshot of a kiss Hartman calls 'the quintessential, iconic image
of the 20th century.'
Another favorite photographer of Hartman's is Margaret Bourke-White
(1904-1971). A child of one Jewish parent, Bourke-White was the first woman
hired as a photojournalist. During WWII, she was the first female war
correspondent to go into combat zones, and one of the first to photograph
Nazi death camps. Her incredibly detailed 1945 overhead shot of a blown-up
bridge in Cologne will be on display at Contessa.
Perhaps best known as an industrial photographer, Bourke-White got her
start in Cleveland in 1927 at the Otis Steel Company. At Contessa, Hartman
will display Bourke-White's 1939 photo of industrial rayon spools from a
factory in Painesville and several photos of Public Square. Her most
recognizable, and Hartman's personal favorite, is the 1928 photo, 'Terminal
Tower as Seen Through Railway Trestle.'
Cleveland images were a top priority for Hartman when selecting his show.
He has secured pictures of Karamu House dancers by Jgon Mili, an
Eisenstaedt photo of a Cleveland dancing school, and Ed Clark's 1960
'Eisenhower Campaigns for Nixon,' which shows a ticker-tape parade on the
corner of Chester and E. 9th Street.
There are also a 1948 portrait of Cleveland Indian Satchel Paige and a 1937
portrait of Tribe pitcher Bob Feller taken by respected Jewish war
photographer Carl Mydans.
Hartman is particularly proud of a 1946 snapshot from a Cleveland school by
Frank Scherschel. It depicts a little girl writing about Cleveland on a
black board, and it was used for an article on pigtails (which the girl is
sporting).
'A lot of people have told me they think this might be the most important
photography show of the year,' says Hartman, who notes that several
national news agencies, like AP and NPR, are planning to cover the show.
'People light up like a lightbulb when they see and remember these
pictures.'
'Images of Our Time' exhibition will be split between The Contessa
Gallery's two locations: Playhouse Square Center and the Eton Collection.
Call 216-861-9280 or 216-831-7800.
Article copyright the Cleveland Jewish News.
V.87;
Cleveland Jewish News
02-21-2003
No matter how much time passes, images of our most important experiences
become etched in memory. Victorious soldiers struggle to plant a flag. An
exuberant sailor celebrates by kissing a nurse he's never met. A
homerun-hitting legend leaves the field. And the snap of a shutter
preserves these moments forever.
'Photography is able to capture a real-time exact moment,' says Steve
Hartman, owner of The Contessa Gallery. In the age before 24-hour TV news,
'we as a nation and as a world learned about politics, sports, war through
the eyes of photographers. Their pictures influenced history.'
Hartman has assembled an exclusive exhibit of 108 famous and
never-before-seen photographs culled from the archives of LIFE Magazine,
the Associated Press and the George Eastman House Museum. Dating between
1852 and September 11, 2001, the one-of-a-kind exhibition, 'Images of Our
Time,' will be on display at The Contessa Gallery through May 31. Only four
of the many images were taken with color film.
'I've always liked history, and photography has been able to capture
history in a way no other medium in art could,' says Hartman, who admits
his own photography skill is more of the family vacation variety.
Hartman began the process of 'curating' the exhibition over two years ago.
With a gallery known for the high caliber of its displays, including an
acclaimed Rembrandt show recently, he vowed only to do a photography show
if it would be 'museum quality.' It is only in the last five years, he
asserts, that photography has come to be considered 'fine art' and found
its place in major museums and at high-end auctions.
'Images of Our Time' contains originals or signed prints of some of
history's most memorable images by legendary photographers, many of them
Jewish. 'A lot are one-of-a-kind vintage photos with markings and wear from
handling,' Hartman explains. 'Some have bent corners. Some have photo
stamps from when they were used for LIFE Magazine.'
All 108 photos in the Contessa show are for sale, ranging between $500 and
$49,000 each. Each comes complete with a certificate of authenticity and
letter that explains where and in what context the photo was originally
published, including a 'chain of custody' to track where the photo has been
since its printing. Purchasers will also be given a reproduction of the
original magazine article for which the photo was used. In many cases, it
is the first time these photos have been available for sale.
The exhibition includes the original prints of four Pulitzer Prize winners:
'Old Glory Goes Up on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima' taken by Joe Rosenthal in
1945; 'Kennedy and Eisenhower at Camp David' by Paul Vathis in 1961;
'Vietnam POW Released' by Sal Veder in 1973; and 'The Babe Bows Out' by Nat
Fein in 1948, the only sports picture ever to win a Pulitzer.
Hartman has also included photographs of famous politicians and artists and
iconic images like Andreas Feininger's legendary landscape of Route 66.
Jewish photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995) will be prominently
featured in the exhibit. Born in Poland, 'Eisie' was called the Father of
Photojournalism and was one of the first to ever use a 35-mm camera. He
took over a million photographs, including 2,500 assignments and 92 covers
for LIFE Magazine. For his show, Hartman has secured several legendary
Eisenstaedt shots, including 'Premiere at La Scala,' 'Future Ballerinas of
the American Ballet Theatre,' and 'Jubilant American Sailor on V-J Day,'
the 1945 snapshot of a kiss Hartman calls 'the quintessential, iconic image
of the 20th century.'
Another favorite photographer of Hartman's is Margaret Bourke-White
(1904-1971). A child of one Jewish parent, Bourke-White was the first woman
hired as a photojournalist. During WWII, she was the first female war
correspondent to go into combat zones, and one of the first to photograph
Nazi death camps. Her incredibly detailed 1945 overhead shot of a blown-up
bridge in Cologne will be on display at Contessa.
Perhaps best known as an industrial photographer, Bourke-White got her
start in Cleveland in 1927 at the Otis Steel Company. At Contessa, Hartman
will display Bourke-White's 1939 photo of industrial rayon spools from a
factory in Painesville and several photos of Public Square. Her most
recognizable, and Hartman's personal favorite, is the 1928 photo, 'Terminal
Tower as Seen Through Railway Trestle.'
Cleveland images were a top priority for Hartman when selecting his show.
He has secured pictures of Karamu House dancers by Jgon Mili, an
Eisenstaedt photo of a Cleveland dancing school, and Ed Clark's 1960
'Eisenhower Campaigns for Nixon,' which shows a ticker-tape parade on the
corner of Chester and E. 9th Street.
There are also a 1948 portrait of Cleveland Indian Satchel Paige and a 1937
portrait of Tribe pitcher Bob Feller taken by respected Jewish war
photographer Carl Mydans.
Hartman is particularly proud of a 1946 snapshot from a Cleveland school by
Frank Scherschel. It depicts a little girl writing about Cleveland on a
black board, and it was used for an article on pigtails (which the girl is
sporting).
'A lot of people have told me they think this might be the most important
photography show of the year,' says Hartman, who notes that several
national news agencies, like AP and NPR, are planning to cover the show.
'People light up like a lightbulb when they see and remember these
pictures.'
'Images of Our Time' exhibition will be split between The Contessa
Gallery's two locations: Playhouse Square Center and the Eton Collection.
Call 216-861-9280 or 216-831-7800.
Article copyright the Cleveland Jewish News.
V.87;
