Burt Glinn. Half a Century as a Magnum Photographer celebrates the compelling, elegant, and expressive ways Burt Glinn experienced the world through photography. Highlighting his extraordinary talent for picturing iconic and everyday scenes from the second half of the 20th century, this is the first monograph covering the breadth of Glinn’s storied career.
From the Introduction by Sarah Stacke:
I remember Burt’s wit and his lopsided grin when he told stories, which was a lot. He loved fine things, especially clothes. He had big opinions, high expectations, and an incredible grasp of the narrative, technical, and administrative aspects of photography. […] For more than half a century, Burt covered it all: conflict, celebrities, wildlife, science, corporations, travel, society, culture. Yet, looking through his archive, his interests clearly emerge. The chapters in this book present five themes Burt returned to again and again.
From the text Notes from Family by Elena Prohaska Glinn:
Burt began creating annual lists of his stories in 1948 and continued for 60 years. The lists reveal how diverse his interests were throughout his life. As an example, in 1959, one of Burt’s favorite years, he photographed more than 30 stories. It began when he abruptly left a New Year’s Eve party after hearing Cuba’s president Fulgencio Batista was on his way into exile and Fidel Castro was taking control. Burt caught the last Yellowbird flight from New York to Miami, then got a $20 charter plane to Cuba, where he spent nine days on the road with Fidel and his soldiers, document- ing their triumphant procession into Havana. After some rest and assignments stateside, he covered the ultrarich and almost famous, often ridiculous, at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel St. Moritz in the haute Swiss Alps. Back in New York, he photographed Sammy Davis Jr., followed by the Beatniks.
From the interview by Sarah Stacke with Susan Meiselas:
Burt’s editorial eye is key. He really knew how to see the world by placing himself in it. He was part of the generation who were lucky to work when magazine assignments were still plentiful and long. He came out of that tradition, which meant that he went places, then stayed and documented them over time. His photographs of the Berlin Wall being built were an example of incredibly good work.
Burt Glinn (1925–2008) is known as one of the most prolific photographers of his generation. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Glinn served in the US Army and studied literature at Harvard University. In 1951, while working for LIFE magazine, he joined Magnum as an associate and became a full member in 1954, one of the first Americans at the young agency. Glinn gained recognition for his coverage of the Cuban Revolution and his in-depth color series on the South Seas, Japan, Russia, Mexico, and California, each of which was published as a complete issue of Holiday. In the 1960s, he became one of the first photographers to enter the field of annual reports and for the next four decades created a visual record of corporate America’s rapid growth. Throughout his career, he regularly covered national and international historical events, cultural icons, and political figures for leading publications. Whenever possible, Glinn made images of religious communities and leaders, as well as sacred architecture and rituals. Many of these photographs became his personal favorites.
Burt Glinn. Half a Century as a Magnum Photographer
Sarah Stacke (Ed.)
Texts by Elena Prohaska Glinn, Sam Glinn, Mark Lubell, Susan Meiselas, Martin Parr, Gilles Peress, Sarah Stacke, Larry Towell, Alex Webb, Eelco Wolf
Designed by Bonnie Briant
Hardcover, 24 x 30 cm
144 pages
100 color and b/w illustrations English
ISBN 978-3-96900-121-9
Euro 45,00 / US$ 55.00
https://www.kehrerverlag.com/en/burt-glinn-half-a-century-as-a-magnum-photographer-978-3-96900-121-9
