Jill Greenberg

Jill Greenberg (born July 1967) is a Canadian photographer. She is known for her portraits, editorial, advertising, and art work. She has been accused of unprofessional behaviour both for her "End Times" exhibition featuring crying toddlers, and for a series of portraits of John McCain taken for "The Atlantic".

Biography

Greenberg was born in Montreal, Canada, and grew up in a suburb of Detroit. She graduated in 1989 from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Photography and moved to New York City to pursue a career in photography. Greenberg moved to Los Angeles in 2001 where she met her husband Robert.

Greenberg has done commercial work for corporations such as Phillip Morris, Microsoft, Compaq, Polaroid, Dreamworks, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MGM, Disney, Fox, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Smirnoff, MTV, Warner Bros., Sony Music, and Atlantic Records. Her photos have appeared on the covers of Time Magazine, TV Guide, Newsweek, US News and World Report, Wired, Entertainment Weekly and numerous other publications. [cite web |url= http://www.manipulator.com/ |title= Jill Greenberg: The Manipulator |accessdate=2007-03-31 |work= Portfolio ]

Her artwork has been featured in Harper's, The New Yorker, The New Republic and several other publications. Her monkey series has been purchased by art collectors worldwide. She is shown at ClampArt [http://www.clampart.com/artists/greenberg/greenberg.htm] in New York, and her artwork has been exhibited in Adelaide, Australia as well as in San Francisco, Chicago, and various other cities.

End Times controversy

Greenberg's "End Times", a series of photographs featuring toddlers, was the subject of controversy in 2006. The work featured stylized hyper real closeups of children's faces contorted by various emotional distresses. The pieces were titled to reflect Greenberg's frustration with both the Bush administration and Christian Fundamentalism in the United States. The method for getting the children to cry (achieved by offering the children candy and suddenly taking it away) spurred allegations of unethical conduct and provoked the submission of numerous complaints to the art gallery that hosted a public showing of Greenberg's work. [cite web |url=http://paulkopeikingallery.com/ |title=Paul Kopeikin Gallery.] [cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21384167-5006301,00.html |title= Crying toddlers stir fierce emotions |accessdate=2007-03-31 |last= Lloyd |first= Tim |date= 2007-03-15 |work= The Advertiser |publisher= News Limited |quote= An exhibition of photographs of crying toddlers sparked "scary" emails from the U.S. before it even opened at an Adelaide art gallery.]

McCain photo controversy

Greenberg was contracted by "The Atlantic" to shoot a picture of John McCain for the magazine's October, 2008 cover. She admitted to deliberately shooting the images to cause McCain to appear unfavourably, by placing a strobe light on the ground in order to make McCain look more sinister. She stated that it was her intention to "stir stuff up." [cite web|url=http://www.pdnpulse.com/2008/09/how-jill-greenb.html|title=How Jill Greenberg Really Feels about John McCain|last=Walker|first=David|date=2008-09-14|work=PDNPulse|publisher=Photo District News|accessdate=2008-09-14] . Greenberg also posted to her website altered versions of photographs she had taken of McCain showing him in an unfavourable light, including an image of McCain with sharpened teeth and blood on his lips with the caption "I am a bloodthirsty warmonger." Her behaviour was described as "incredibly unprofessional" by James Bennet, the "Atlantic"'s editor. Greenberg was unapologetic, stating that "it was maybe somewhat irresponsible for ["The Atlantic"] to hire me." [cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/09142008/news/politics/mac_hater_has_a_lousy_image_129007.htm|title=Mac hater has a lousy "image"|last=Otis|first=Ginger|date=2008-09-14|publisher=New York Post|accessdate=2008-09-15] "The Atlantic" later apologized to McCain over the photos, writing that Greenberg "betrayed this magazine, and disgraced her profession." [ [http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/atlantic_monthly_mccain/2008/09/15/131066.html Atlantic Monthly Apologizes to McCain Over Photos] ]

Awards

* 2007 AP23 American Photography
* 2006 Award of Excellence, Communications Arts Photography Annual
* 2006 Print Placement – 2nd Place, PDN/Nikon Self Promotion
* 2006 Direct Mail Award – 1st Place, PDN/Nikon Self Promotion
* 2005 Special Book - 2nd Place, PDN/Nikon Self Promotion
* 2004 Self-Promo Award - 2nd Place, PDN/Nikon Self Promotion
* 1997 Award of Excellence, Communications Arts Annual

References

External links

* [http://www.manipulator.com/ Official Jill Greenberg Site - Manipulator]
* [http://www.vh-artists.com/ Vaughan Hannigan represents Jill Greenberg]
* [http://clampart.com/artists/greenberg/greenberg.htm ClampArt, Gallery specializing in Modern and Contemporary Art]
* [http://www7.nationalacademies.org/arts/Jill_Greenberg_Monkey_Portraits.html Jill Greenberg's Monkey Portraits at the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.]
* [http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=pNltZ1of3BGKVsA8l7okhQ&_render=rss Jill Greenberg yahoo Pipe RSS feed]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WExtRfBDPXo "End Times" controversy] ( [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I26UhE1njFc alt] )
* [http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2007/01/jill_greenberg_2.php Jill's art and photoshop work featured on Cool Hunting]
* [http://podcasting.americanphotomag.com/2006/AmericanPHOTOPodcast.mp3 Podcast interview from American Photo magazine]
* [http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid277010949/bclid284947442/bctid307738901 Greenberg interview] on the Gwen Stefani "The Sweet Escape" album package shoot.
* [http://www.manipulator.com/img/Greenberg_press.pdf Digital Photo Pro article from 2006]
* [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1081962161.html?dids=1081962161:1081962161&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+24%2C+2006&author=Steven+Barrie-Anthony&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=E.1&desc=Taking+more+than+candy%3F definitive article on "End Times" controversy in the LA Times, abstract only]