Edward Steichen
- Introduction
- Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and curator, who is widely renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography.Credited with transforming photography into an art form, Steichen's photographs were the photographs that most frequently appeared in Alfred Stieglitz's groundbreaking magazine Camera Work during its publication from 1903 to 1917, with Stieglitz hailing him as "the greatest photographer that ever lived".A pioneer of fashion photography, Steichen laid claim to his photos of gowns for the magazine Art et Décoration in 1911, being the first modern fashion photographs ever published. From 1923 to 1938, Steichen served as chief photographer for the Condé Nast magazines Vogue and Vanity Fair, while also working for many advertising agencies, including J. Walter Thompson. During these years, Steichen was regarded as the best known and highest paid photographer in the world.After the United States' entry into World War II, Steichen was invited by the United States Navy to serve as Director of the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit. In 1944, he directed the war documentary The Fighting Lady, which won the 1945 Academy Award for Best Documentary. From 1947 to 1961, Steichen served as Director of the Department of Photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art. While there, he curated and assembled exhibits including The Family of Man, which was seen by nine million people. In 2003, the Family of Man photographic collection was added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in recognition of its historical value.In February 2006, a print of Steichen's early pictorialist photograph, The Pond—Moonlight (1904), sold for US$2.9 million—at the time, the highest price ever paid for a photograph at auction.
- Wikidata
- Q313899
- Introduction
- Steichen was born on March 27, 1879 in Luxembourg and grew up in Hancock, Michigan when his family emigrated to the United States in 1881. Steichen was apprenticed to a Milwaukee, Wisconsin lithographer from 1894-1898. His interest in photography began in 1895, and during subsequent years, he exhibited in various photographic exhibitions in the United States and Europe. His early style reflects his training as a painter, using soft tonality and lighting on his subjects. In 1900, Steichen became a naturalized American citizen, and in 1901 he was elected a member of the Linked Ring, a pictorialist society in London, England, United Kingdom. In 1902, Steichen was a founding member of the Photo-Secession Movement, along with Alfred Stieglitz. In 1905, Steichen and Stieglitz opened the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession "291" on Fifth Avenue in New York City, New York. From 1906 to 1914, Steichen was working as a freelance painter and photographer in Paris, France, but returned to the United States on the eve of World War I with the desire to become a photojournalist in the tradition of Matthew Brady. From 1914 to 1919, Steichen was an aerial reconnaissance photographer and director of photographic services for the United States Air Force. In 1920 Steichen abandoned painting completely for photography and from 1923 to 1938, Steichen had a studio in New York City, New York. He also worked as the chief photographer for Vogue magazine, creating such iconic fashion images as his portrait of Gloria Swanson behind a black lace veil. He became a Lieutenant Commander in United States Navy in 1942 and he organized the War Photography Department. From 1945 to 1946, Steichen was the director of the Naval Photographic Institute organizing two exhibitions for MOMA: "Road to Victory" (1942), a photographic portrait of The United States on which he collaborated with his brother-in-law, poet Carl Sandburg, and "Power In The Pacific"(1945). Steichen abandoned his own photography practice in 1947 to become the director of the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, New York. He held this position until 1962. He died on March 25, 1973.
- Nationalities
- American, Luxembourgeois
- Gender
- Male
- Roles
- Artist, Military Personnel'S, Curator, Designer, Photojournalist, Painter, Photographer
- Names
- Edward Steichen, Edward Jean Steichen, Edward J. Steichen, Edouard J. Steichen, Eduard J. Steichen, Eduard Jean Steichen, Edowado Sutaiken, Edowadpo Sutaiken, Eduoard J. Steichen, Eduard-Jean Steichen, Edowādo Sutaiken
- Ulan
- 500000431
Exhibitions
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Dorothea Lange: Words & Pictures
Feb 9–Sep 19, 2020
MoMA
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Private Lives Public Spaces
Through Apr 4
MoMA
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511: The Vertical City
Oct 21, 2019–Oct 12, 2020
MoMA
Collection gallery
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502: Early Photography and Film
Ongoing
MoMA
Collection gallery
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Lincoln Kirstein’s Modern
Mar 17–Jun 15, 2019
MoMA
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Edward Steichen has
71 exhibitionsonline.
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Edward Steichen My Little Sister 1895
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Edward Steichen Self-Portrait with Sister 1900
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Edward Steichen Figure with Iris 1902
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Edward Steichen Horse-Chestnut Blossoms, Long Island 1904
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Edward Steichen Moonrise—Mamaroneck, New York 1904
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Edward Steichen George Bernard Shaw c. 1907
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Edward Steichen Mrs. Condé Nast, Paris 1907
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Edward Steichen Mrs. Condé Nast 1907
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Edward Steichen Mrs. Conde Nast 1907
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Edward Steichen Heavy Roses, Voulangis, France June 1914
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Edward Steichen Heavy Roses, Voulangis, France June 1914
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Edward Steichen LE COQ GAULOIS 1915
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Edward Steichen Self-Portrait with Studio Camera c. 1917
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Edward Steichen Wheelbarrow with Flower Pots, France 1920
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Edward Steichen Three Pears and an Apple c. 1921
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Edward Steichen Lucien Vogel, Editor of "VU" 1924
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Edward Steichen Gloria Swanson, New York 1924
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Edward Steichen Charlie Chaplin 1925
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Edward Steichen Improvisation "The Front Page" Osgood Perkins & Lee Tracy 1928
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Edward Steichen Gertrude Lawrence 1928
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Edward Steichen Diagram of Doom Number 2 c. 1922
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Edward Steichen Anna May Wong 1930
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Edward Steichen Backbone and Ribs of a Sunflower c. 1920
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Edward Steichen Charlie Chaplin 1931
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Edward Steichen The Maypole 1932
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Edward Steichen The Maypole (Empire State Building) 1932
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Edward Steichen The Maypole (Empire State Building) 1932
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Edward Steichen Paul Robeson in "Emperor Jones" 1933
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Edward Steichen Charles Sheeler, West Redding, Connecticut c. 1932
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