To mark the occasion of the 62nd Berlinale, C/O – International Forum For Visual Dialogues presents Ron Galella – Paparazzo Extraordinaire! in cooperation with La Fabrica, Madrid.
Nearly 150 black-and-white prints will be on display in four thematic sections: Actors, Nobility, Artists and Musicians. Ron Galella takes us from New York to Jamaica, from Saint Tropez to London, on the trails of Sean Penn, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Onassis, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, David Bowie, and Michael Jackson, who all take turns smiling (or snarling) at the camera.
We know it, we feel it: the paparazzo and the star play many roles, but the image is always at stake. For Galella to get the best shots, no risk was too big. When capturing the star’s face, he sought the spontaneous energy of a moment: always authentic, straight in the eyes, straight to the point. The snapshots became portraits, which became magazine covers, which became in turn top earners at auctions and fare for museums.
As with their other exhibitions, the C/O will screen the documentary Smash His Camera by Leon Gaste (Get The Shot Production, 2010), retracing the life and career of Ron Galella.
Galella was born in 1931 in New York. He began his career in photography as part of the US Air Force before studying photojournalism in Los Angeles. Known for his tenacity as a paparazzo, he was no stranger to fists and lawsuits, notably from Jacqeline Kennedy, whom he hounded for years. Galella also shot several series for Time, Rolling Stone, Vogue and Vanity Fair.
Eva Gravayat
Exhibition
Ron Galella, Paparazzo Extraordinaire !
Until February 26, 2012
C/O Berlin, International Forum For Visual Dialogues
Oranienburger Straße 35/36
10117 Berlin
Curators: Felix Hoffmann, C/O Berlin; Gerardo Mosquera, Photo España Madrid
Catalogue
Ron Galella, Paparazzo Extraordinaire!
Published by Felix Hoffmann, C/O Berlin, Introduction by Felix Hoffmann, Text by Mathias Prinz, Layout by Naroska Design. In German and English.
Hatje Cantz, 2011. 200 pages
ISBN 978-3-7757-3324-3
