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Alfred StieglitzAmerican master and theorist of photography.
Date of Birth: 01.01.1864
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Biography of Alfred Stieglitz
Alfred Stieglitz was born in 1864 in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was the first son of German-Jewish immigrants Edward Stieglitz and Hedwig Ann Werner. His father, who was a lieutenant in the Union Army at the time, later left the army to focus on Alfred's education and upbringing. The family eventually grew to include five more children.

In 1871, Alfred was sent to Charlier Institute, the best private school in New York at the time. In 1881, his father sold his business, and the whole family moved to Europe for several years. Alfred continued his studies at the Technische Hochschule in Berlin from 1882 and developed a serious interest in photography during this time. While his parents returned to America in 1884, Alfred remained in Germany until the end of the decade. It was during this time that Stieglitz began building his own photography library, which would later become the finest collection in Europe and the United States. He read extensively and formulated his initial opinions on photography and aesthetics. In 1887, he wrote his first articles, including "A Word or Two about Amateur Photography in Germany," for the new British magazine, "Amateur Photographer." Soon after, Stieglitz started writing regularly on technical and aesthetic aspects of photography for German and English magazines.
In the same year, he submitted several of his own photographs to the "Amateur Photographer" competition, and his work titled "The Last Joke, Bellagio" won first place. He went on to win a couple more prizes in the same publication, and from then on, Stieglitz's name began to gain recognition in Europe, with his works being featured in other publications.
Despite his success in Europe, Stieglitz reluctantly returned to America in 1890. His father threatened to cut off his financial support if he refused to be with the family. Around that time, the family experienced a tragedy as Alfred's younger sister, Flora, died during childbirth. At the age of slightly over 25, Alfred believed American photography was lacking, as it was only seen as a reflection of reality, while Stieglitz already understood that photography was primarily an art form. He later wrote, "Photography as I understood it had almost no presence in the United States."
However, Stieglitz's return to the United States proved to be a breakthrough. He single-handedly managed to generate interest in "new" photography, thereby introducing Americans to the world of photographic art. His photographs were highly innovative for the time. Stieglitz did not create reportages with his photographs; he simply pushed the boundaries of what was considered photography in America. He wandered the streets, capturing interesting details, printing them, and continued to be misunderstood.
Interestingly, Stieglitz never enlarged his photographs, retouched them, or relied on any professional tricks to embellish reality.
He soon joined the Society of Photographers and became the editor of the "American Amateur Photographer" magazine. It was Stieglitz who founded the "Photo-Secession" society in 1902.
In 1905, he opened a small gallery in the building at 291 Fifth Avenue in New York. Stieglitz's works, along with those of other New York photographers, were exhibited in the gallery alongside works by Matisse, Hartley, Weber, Rousseau, Renoir, Cézanne, Manet, Picasso, as well as Japanese prints and African wood carvings. However, introducing American audiences to established masters proved to be challenging. For example, Stieglitz had to return all of Picasso's works since the exhibition was deemed a failure - American audiences could not embrace such "art."
Throughout his long career, Stieglitz amassed a vast collection of photographs on various topics. His collection notably included photographs of his wife, artist Georgia O'Keeffe. It should be noted that this marriage was not his first; he divorced his first wife, Emmeline Obermeyer, because of Georgia, who remained his friend, wife, and colleague until his death.
In 1938, Alfred suffered a severe heart attack, and his health only deteriorated from then on. Alfred Stieglitz passed away on July 13, 1946. As per his wishes, only a few close friends and family members attended his funeral.
It is known that Stieglitz rarely sold his works, even as he became a recognized master of photography. At the time of his death in 1946, his collection contained around 1300 photographs, which Georgia O'Keeffe later donated to American museums.
Today, it is impossible to underestimate Alfred Stieglitz's influence on photography in the United States and on the overall cultural scene. Throughout his life, he persistently and consistently sought recognition for photography as an art form, as well as took on the challenging mission of cultivating an artistic elite in America.
"Photography has such subtle reality that it becomes more real than reality itself," the photographer once said.