Louis Stettner

Louis Stettner (born 7 November 1922) is an American photographer of the 20th century whose work includes streetscapes, portraits and architectural images of New York and Paris. His work has been highly regarded because of its humanity and capturing the life and reality of the people and streets of both cities. Since 1947, Stettner has photographed the changes in the people, culture, and architecture of both cities. Now in his 80s, he continues to photograph New York and Paris.

Biography

Louis Stettner was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, one of four children. His father was a cabinet maker and he learned the trade when young, using the money to support his growing love of photography. He was given a box camera as a child and his love affair with photography began. His family went on trips to Manhattan and visited museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art where he began his love of art.

At 18, in 1940, Stettner enlisted in the army and became a combat photographer in Europe for the Signal Corps. After a brief stint in Europe he was sent to New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan. Stettner visited Paris in 1946 and realized it would be his future home. He later moved there and received his Bachelor of Arts, Photography & Cinema at IDHEC, Paris University. He went back and forth between New York and Paris for almost two decades and finally settled permanently in Saint-Ouen, near Paris, in 1990. Stettner lives there now with his family and still returns to New York frequently to work and relax.

Photography

Stettner's professional work in Paris began with capturing life in the war-ravaged streets where he looked to capture the everyday lives of his subjects. He wanted to find the humanity and bonds that connected people regardless of class. In 1947 he was asked to organize an exhibition of French photographers in New York. He gathered the works of some of the greatest photographers of the era, including Doisneau, Brassaï, and Ronis. The show ultimately was a big success. Stettner had begun a series of regular meetings with Brassaï who was a great mentor and had significant influence on his work. In 1949, Stettner had his first exhibition at the “Salon des Indépendants" at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.

In his own work, Stettner focused on documenting the lives of the working class in both Paris and New York. He felt and still believes that the cities belong to the people that live there, not the tourist and visitors. His upbringing caused him to take great care in capturing the simple human dignity of the working class. He also captured great architectural images of both cities including bridges, buildings and monuments.

The subjects and series included:
*New York 1946 to present
*The Penn Station Series
*The Subways Series
*Wall Street Series
*Brooklyn Bridge
*The Seine Series
*The Bowery
*The Workers Series
*Early Paris

His work has resulted in well known images including: "Aubervilliers, Brooklyn Promenade, Twin Towers with Sea Gull, Penn Station," and "the Statue of Liberty, Battery Park."

His work has received numerous and honors and in 1950 he was named "Life"’s top new photographer. In 1975 he won First Prize in the Pravda World Contest.

Museums containing work by Stettner

*Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA
*Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago"Louis Stettner: Wisdom Cries out in the Streets," p.299.]
*Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris
*Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris
*Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn
*Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland
*International Center of Photography, New York
*Jewish Museum Berlin
*Los Angeles County Museum of Art - LACMA, Los Angeles
*Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris
*Merrill Lynch Art Collection, New York
*Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
*Microsoft Art Collection, Seattle
*Montana Museum of Art and Culture, Missoula, MT
*Carnavalet Museum, Paris
*Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
*Musée de l’Elysee, Lausanne
*Musée de l’Elysee, Paris
*Museum of Modern Art, New York
*Museum of the City of New York
*New York Public Library, New York
*San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco
*San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
*Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
*Victoria and Albert Museum, London
*Whitney Museum of Art, New York

elect exhibitions

*"What's New: Recent Acquisitions in Photography." Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 2001
*"Star Spangled Spirit." Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, 2002
*"City Streets." Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Fla, 2003
*"Photographies récentes par Louis Stettner." Galerie Marion Meyer, Paris, 2003
*"Full House: Views from the Whitney's Collection at 75." Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 2006
*Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, 2006
*"Louis Stettner: Photographien." Camera Work, Berlin, 2006
*"Louis Stettner: Streetwise." Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, 2006
*"Fotografía Contemporánea." Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago, 2006

elected books and portfolios

*"Paris-New York." Paris, New York: Two Cities Publications, 1949. Portfolio of 10 photographs, introduction by Brassaï.
*"Workers: Twenty-Four Photographs." New York: Stettner Studio, 1974. Portfolio.
*"Women." New York: Stettner Studio, 1976. Portfolio of 22 photographs.
*"Sur le Tas." Paris: Cercle d’Art, 1979. ISBN 2702201296. Book of 156 photographs, introduction by François Cavanna. fr icon
*"Early Joys: Photographs from 1947-1972." New York: Janet Iffland, 1987. ISBN 0961848200. Introduction by Brassaï.
*"Louis Stettner: New York, 1994." Kempen, New York: Te Neues; Paris, Flammarion, 1993. ISBN 3823814435.
*"Sous le ciel de Paris." Paris: Parigramme, 1994. ISBN 2840961938. Introduction by François Cavanna. fr icon
*"Louis Stettner's New York, 1950s–1990s." New York: Rizzoli, 1997. ISBN 0847820041.
*"Louis Stettner: American photographer, Paris: Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum Aachen, 11. Januar-9. März 1997." Aachen: Museum der Stadt Aachen, Suermondt-Ludwig Museum, 1997. ISBN 3929203154. de icon
*"Louis Stettner." Collection Photo Poche. Paris: Nathan, 1998. ISBN 2097541267. Introduction by François Bernheim. fr icon
*"Louis Stettner: Wisdom Cries Out in the Streets." Paris: Flammarion, 1999. ISBN 2-08013-673-9.
*"Louis Stettner: Sophisme, photographies 1990–1999." Neuchâtel: Ides et Callendes, 1999. Text by Michèle Auer. fr icon
*"Chile en el corazón." Santiago: LOM, 2001. ISBN 9562823946. es icon

elected essays and books by Louis Stettner

*"De "l'objectivité nouvelle" à la "photographie subjective"." Antwerp: Gevaert, 1953. fr icon
*"35mm Photography, editor." U.S. Camera Co., 1956.
*"History of the Nude in American Photography," editor. New York: Fawcett, 1966.
*"Weegee the Famous," editor. New York: Knopf, 1978.
*“Cézanne’s Apple and the Photo League,” "Aperture," no. 112 (Fall 1988), pp. 14-35

Notes

External links

* [http://www.loustettner.com Stettner's site] with over 250 images