Ron Galella was born in the United States on January 10th, 1931. Considered the most famous and controversial celebrity photographer, he has also been baptized as the “Paparazzi Extraordinaire” by Newsweek, and “The US Godfather of the Paparazzi culture” by Time and Vanity Fair.
Galella was ready to take risks in order to capture the perfect shot. This way of working makes its case in two legal battles of major media coverage with Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis, a broken jaw by Marlon Brando and a beating by Richard Burton’s bodyguards before finally being taken to prison in Cuernavaca, Mexico….
Regardless of his recognition in the USA, the authorities of the Region of Basilicate in Italy awarded Ron (whose father, Vicenzo Galella, was born in Muro Lucano) with the title “Honorable citizen” of the region in 2009. The same region is also showing at the Palazzo Lafranci Carlo Levi de Matera “Ron Galella: Italian Icons”, and an exhibition with more than 70 of Ron’s photographs. Parallel to this exhibition, Ron has also launched “Viva l’Italia!” a book of over 225 photographs of Italian and Italian-American celebrities, from Frank Sinatra to Sophia Loren.
New York born, Ron worked as a photographer in the United States Air Force during the Korean war before joining the Los Angeles Art Center College of Design, where he obtained his degree as a photojournalist in 1958. He lives in Montville New Jersey with Betty Galella Burke, his wife.
Ron Galella, Boxing with the stars
Until October 22
A.galerie
12 rue Léonce Reynaud
Paris, 75016
