- Jesse Kalisher
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Jesse Kalisher Born Manhattan, New York Nationality American Field photography Patrons Barbara Lazaroff Jesse Kalisher is an American photographer credited with having the first photographs of Barack Obama to be acquired by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Jesse is the author of the book “if you find the Buddha” – a collection of 93 of his ground-breaking images of the Buddha. The books was published by Chronicle Books in 2006. Today, his work is in a wide range of museum collections ranging from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to the Louvre to the DeYoung Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.
Contents
Life
Jesse's first camera arrived on his sixth birthday as a present from his father, celebrated photographer Simpson Kalisher. A darkroom soon followed. While raised by his mother, over the years Jesse worked with his father both in the darkroom and as his assistant. Yet despite his enthusiasm for the medium, when it came time to go to college and consider a career, Jesse took his father’s advice and focused on anything but photography.
A decade long career in advertising and marketing followed. During that time, Jesse worked for BBDO, Grey Advertising, The Clorox Company and J. Walter Thompson. He created marketing plans and advertising for brands ranging from Fresh Step Cat Litter to Oral-B toothbrushes and Sprint. If you’re of the right age, you might remember the long-running Sprint ad campaign with Candice Bergen. He helped create those. Despite his professional success, Jesse was unfulfilled and in December '95, Jesse gave his final notice and resigned his position as a VP, Management Supervisor with J. Walter Thompson. In early January ‘96, Jesse boarded a plane for Hanoi and two months of untold adventures. He carried with him a simple point and shoot camera. It was during his first few days in Vietnam that he looked through the small viewfinder and had an epiphany. He had seen a few kids playing badminton on an otherwise deserted early morning street, lifted that camera to his eye and expected to see a snapshot. He saw instead a tableau filled with meaning. And in that very instant he re-discovered his love affair with photography.
Jesse met his wife Helen at the Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatemala. The two avid travelers went on to backpack through Central America together and then, in 2001 & 2002 around the world. They have two children, Jordan and Tamar and at the end of 2003 they moved from San Francisco to Chapel Hill, North Carolina where they live today. In addition to private collections throughout the world, Jesse’s photography is in the permanent collections of many museums including The Louvre, The Smithsonian, The George Eastman House, The de Young Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston and many more. Of note, the first photographs of Barack Obama acquired by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History were Jesse’s.
Jesse’s fine art reproductions also fill hotels across the nation, including Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, Park Inns, Westins, Hyatts, Hiltons, Sheratons and many more.. “Interior Designers and their clients are the new Medici’s of the world,” Jesse says. “They appreciate art and help fund its creation. I am eternally grateful for their unwavering support.” Jesse’s book “If you find the Buddha” was published by Chronicle Books and released in 2006 to great reviews. “If You Find The Buddha” includes 93 color images that Jesse captured in both the U.S. and in Thailand each of which depicts Buddha as part of everyday life.
Robert Flynn Johnson, Curator of The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, has declared Jesse, “A talented artist,” while Drew Johnson, the Photography Curator at The Oakland Museum of California calls Jesse, “an important photographer in the tradition of Dorothea Lange.” Private collector and noted Beverly Hills Interior Designer, Barbara Lazaroff, said that, “Jesse provides a stunning perspective on our world.”
Jesse is on the faculty at the Maine Media Workshops where he teaches an advanced course in black-and-white photography every year. In 2006, Jesse signed an agreement to lead photo expeditions for Regent Seven Seas Cruises as part of their inaugural “Circles of Interest” programs. “This was an exciting development,” Jesse says, explaining that it allowed him to share his passion for photography and travel with like-minded folks and all in a fabulous setting. In 2010, Jesse created and led his inaugural Tahiti Photography Workshop in partnership with Paul Gauguin cruises. And in 2011, Jesse is slated to lead The Tahiti Photography Workshop, a workshop in Alaska in partnership with Silver Seas Cruises and, of course, to teach his Maine Media Workshop. In addition to Jesse’s many appearances on radio and television, Jesse is also an accomplished storyteller, having performed his one-man show, “We’re Not the Tourists You’re Looking For,” at The Marsh Theater in San Francisco and having shared the stage at a North Carolina Storytelling event in 2010 alongside Elizabeth Edwards and Emmy award winning writer Michael Malone.
Jesse’s photography is sponsored by Nikon, Lexar/Crucial Media, Adobe, and Lowepro backpacks. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Art Business News, Black and White Magazine, Art & Living Magazine and Interior Design Magazine. His blog and YouTube channel filled with photography tips videos (and outtakes) are popular as is his website, www.kalisher.com.
“I am fascinated by the world we live in,” Kalisher says, “and I consider myself lucky to be able to photograph it.”
Museums and Galleries
Jesse Kalisher Gallery
In July 2008, Jesse Kalisher moved his business to downtown Carrboro, North Carolina at 209 East Main Street. This location became HQ for the Jesse Kalisher Gallery, a business that provides art and wall decor to the Hospitality and Retail industries worldwide.
Permanent Collections
- The Louvre
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- De Young Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
- Walters Art Museum
- Oakland Museum of California
- San Jose Museum of Art
- Ackland Art Museum
- Boca Raton Museum of Art
- DuSable Museum of African American History
Exhibits
- Field Museum (Chicago) - Eternal Egypt
- Oakland Museum of California - The Human Race at Work
- University of North Carolina - The Human Race at Work
- The Commonwealth Club (San Francisco) - The Human Race at Work
- Photo S.F.
- Photo L.A.
- DuSable Museum of African American History
- Zimmer Museum, "show and tell: the art of language"
External links
- www.kalisher.com The Jesse Kalisher Gallery
- www.ifyoufindthebuddha.com "if you find the Buddha" by Jesse Kalisher
- www.jessekalisher.com Jesse Kalisher Fine Art Photography
- [1] Instructional video on photography featuring Jesse Kalisher
Categories:- American photographers
- Living people
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