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Edward Steichen

Edward Steichen was an American photographer, painter, and art gallery curator born in 1879 in Luxembourg who immigrated to the United States in 1881. He helped establish photography as a fine art form and created influential early photographs like "Pond Moonlight". During World War II, he directed the Naval Photographic Institute and won an Oscar for the documentary "The Fighting Lady". Later, he created the hugely popular 1955 MoMA exhibit "The Family of Man" featuring over 500 photos from 68 countries. Steichen was a pioneering figure who helped bring photography into the fine arts mainstream.

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155 views15 pages

Edward Steichen

Edward Steichen was an American photographer, painter, and art gallery curator born in 1879 in Luxembourg who immigrated to the United States in 1881. He helped establish photography as a fine art form and created influential early photographs like "Pond Moonlight". During World War II, he directed the Naval Photographic Institute and won an Oscar for the documentary "The Fighting Lady". Later, he created the hugely popular 1955 MoMA exhibit "The Family of Man" featuring over 500 photos from 68 countries. Steichen was a pioneering figure who helped bring photography into the fine arts mainstream.

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Edward Steichen

American
Photographer
(1879-1973)
■ Edward Steichen (March 27, 1879 - March
25, 1973) was an American photographer,
painter, and art gallery curator, born in
Bivange, Luxembourg.

■ His family moved to the United States in 1881


and he became a naturalized citizen in 1900.
■ Having established himself as a fine art painter in the
beginning of the 20th century, Steichen assumed the
pictorialist approach in photography and proved
himself a master of it. In 1905, Steichen helped create
the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession with
Alfred Stieglitz.

■ After World War I he reverted to


straight photography, gradually moving into
fashion photography. Steichen's 1928 photo of
actress Greta Garbo is recognized as one of the
definitive portraits of Garbo.
■ During World War II, he served as Director of
the Naval Photographic Institute. His war
documentary The Fighting Lady won the
1945 Academy Award for Best Documentary.
■ After the war, Steichen served until 1962 as
the Director of Photography at New York's
Museum of Modern Art.
■ Among other accomplishments, Steichen is
appreciated for creating The Family of Man in 1955,
a vast exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art
consisting of over 500 photos that depicted life, love
and death in 68 countries.

■ As had been Steichen's wish, the exhibition was


donated to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is
now permanently housed in the Luxembourg town of
Clervaux. [1]
The Pond Moonlight
■ In February 2006, a copy of Steichen's early
pictorialist photograph, The Pond-Moonlight
(1904), sold for what was then the highest price ever
paid for a photograph at auction, U.S. $2.9 million.
■ Steichen took the photograph in
Mamaroneck, New York The photo features a
wooded area and pond, with moonlight appearing
between the trees and reflecting on the pond.
■ Only three known versions of the Pond-Moonlight
are still in existence and, as a result of the hand-
layering of the gums, each is unique.
Famous Images
Greta Garbo
Pond Moonlight
Marlene Deitrich, 1934
Avocados
Maypole
Parthenon
In His Own Words
“Every ten years a man
should give himself a
good kick in the
pants.”
Edward Steichen

“Once you really


commence to see
things, then you really
commence to feel
things.”
Edward Steichen
Key Facts: Edward Steichen

■ 19th/20th Century American photographer


■ “Pond Moonlight”: $2.9 million dollars.
■ Famous photo of Greta Garbo
■ Created “Family of Man” Exhibit in 1955.
■ Director of MoMA in NYC from WWII to
1962.

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