PHOTO:Louis Stettner at Centre George Pompidou
Louis Stettner 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.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Centre George Pompidou Archive
The retrospective “Here And Ther” at Centre Pompidou in Paris, is a tribute to Louis Stettner one of the last great American photographers of his generation still working today. The exhibition highlights 80 years of a varied, powerful and lyrical body of work. A major figure of the history of photography, Louis Stettner shows us the poetic post-war Paris, the animated New York of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s and the atmospheric quality of urban scenes, where he captured people at work with extraordinary perception. Born and raised in Brooklyn, it was the exuberant and vibrant Manhattan that cast a spell over the young man. Yet it was in Paris during the post-war years of 1946-1951 that Louis Stettner ultimately became a photographer. He fell in love with the city and its inhabitants, still marked by the austerity and deprivations of the war and German occupation. The aromas of the neighborhoods, the quiet alcoves on the banks of the Seine, and the recent history all around inspired him as much as the Parisians themselves, that came together in the cafés, debated over art, and welcomed him into their circles. Stettner met Brassaï, Édouard Boubat, Willy Ronis, Izis, Robert Doisneau and other photographers, studied film at the University of Paris, and in 1949 exhibited his work for the first time in the “Salon des Indépendants” at the National Library. In 1951 Stettner moved back to New York and worked among the people, photographing kids playing, the cool guys, the hurried steps through clouds of steam, dwelling in the rain, waiting at the street corner. It is a vision that has importance in the way it combines intellect and sensuality. Louis Stettner recently donated to Centre Pompidou a group of104 prints. Through the generosity of Hervé and Etty Jauffret, this donation is augmented with the acquisition of 7 of the artist’s important vintage prints, and the extraordinary dummy of “Pepe & Tony”, a 1956 book project that was never published. Featured in the exhibition, this new selection of vintage prints and the dummy make a significant addition to the Centre Pompidou’s photography collection. The includes famous pictures by Stettner such as “Aubervilliers” (1947), “Brooklyn Promenade” (1954) and “Manège” (1949), as well as many others never previously shown.
Info: Curators: Clément Chéroux and Julie Jones, Centre George Pompidou, Place Georges-Pompidou, Paris, Duration: 15/6-12/9/16, Days & Hours: Mon and Wed-Sun 11:00-21:00, www.centrepompidou.fr
