Edward Steichen
USA- American Photographer, Artist, and Curator
- Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession
- Contributions to Military and Commercial Photography
- Director of Photography at MoMA
- Biography
American Photographer, Artist, and Curator
Edward Steichen was an American photographer, artist, and curator, and one of the most prominent masters of American photography. He was the recipient of numerous professional and state awards. Steichen first gained recognition for his work in the avant-garde magazine, 'Camera Work', published by Alfred Stieglitz, whom he met in 1900 in New York City. Impressed by Steichen's photographs, Stieglitz purchased several of his works and asked him to design the logo and font for the magazine when he decided to launch it in 1902.
Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession
In partnership with Stieglitz, Steichen opened the 'Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession', renowned as '291', after its address on Fifth Avenue in New York City. From 1905 to 1917, this gallery showcased the first American exhibitions of artists such as Henri Matisse, Auguste Rodin, Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brâncuși, and many other European artists, photographers, and sculptors. In 1911, Steichen's photographs of fashion designs by Paul Poiret were published in the magazine 'Art et Décoration', making them the first fashion photographs to appear in a magazine.
Contributions to Military and Commercial Photography
During both World Wars, Steichen led a unit that made significant contributions to the development of military photography. In peacetime, he worked as a photographer for Condé Nast publications, including 'Vogue' and 'Vanity Fair' from 1923 to 1938. He also collaborated with various renowned advertising agencies, including J. Walter Thompson, establishing himself as the world's most famous and highly paid photographer. In 1945, Steichen directed the documentary film 'The Fighting Lady', which won an Oscar Award for Best Documentary Film.
Director of Photography at MoMA
After World War II, Steichen became the Director of the Photography Department at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City and held this position until 1962. In 1955, he organized the exhibition 'The Family of Man', which eventually traveled to 69 countries, attracting 9 million visitors and selling 2.5 million books about the exhibition's works. In 1962, Steichen hired John Szarkowski as his successor at MoMA.
Biography
Edward Steichen was born on March 27, 1879, in Bivange, Luxembourg. His father immigrated to the United States in 1880, and a year later, Steichen's mother and sibling joined him in Chicago. The family later moved to Milwaukee in 1889. In 1894, Steichen became an apprentice at the American Fine Art Company of Milwaukee, where he discovered a passion for painting and photography. He bought his first camera, a used 'Kodak', in 1895. Together with friends interested in art and photography, he founded the Milwaukee Art Students League and rented a studio in an office building in Milwaukee.
In 1900, Steichen acquired American citizenship, but he continued to use the name Eduard Jean in a French manner until the end of World War I. In 1903, he married Clara Smith, with whom he had two daughters. However, they divorced in 1922. The following year, Steichen married Dana Desboro Glover, who sadly passed away from leukemia in 1957. Finally, at the age of 80, in 1960, the artist married Joanna Taub, who was 54 years his junior and outlived him by 47 years. Steichen passed away on March 25, 1973, just a few days before his 94th birthday.
In 1928, Steichen purchased a farm in Connecticut, which he named 'Umpawaug'. After his death, the farm was transformed into a park open to visitors.
