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May 25, 2006- September 4, 2006
Reception: May 25, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Martin Schoeller
Hasted Hunt
529 W 20th St Martin Schoeller Angelina Jolie (2004) |  Martin Schoeller Jack Nicholson (2002) |
There will be a reception on Thursday, May 25th from 6 to 8 PM.
Martin Schoeller's unique and distinctive style of making portraits is characterized by its directness. The model, often a celebrity (Jack Nicholson, Angelina Jolie), political figure (Bill Clinton), or athlete (Lance Armstrong) faces the photographer squarely, and the image is cropped very tightly. It is as if the already forceful essence and intensity of their personality has been further compressed. This power is emphasized in the large format prints (printed up to 50 x 40 inches).
The most vital feature of Schoeller's work is the mesmerizing way in which the subjects transfix the viewer. The eyes are full of life. The artist's technique is a combination of his directorial skills and remarkable lighting. The work has been sometimes characterized as raw and unforgiving, but it is, in fact, revealing and smart.
The influence of well-known German artists, his teachers Hilla and Bernd Becher is evident in the rigor and systematic approach to the making of these portraits. These typologies are made with a similar vision and precision to what the Bechers bring to their water towers and other series.
Martin Schoeller has been a contract photographer for The New Yorker since 1999. The editor, David Remnick, says in his introduction to Close Up:
Celebrity is all about surface and saturation, and "the big heads" of Martin Schoeller push those qualities to the limit. They give the face, the human expression, a new dimension, and that's why we keep looking at them. That's what portraits are for, what they are all about. It is very hard not to look for a long time at these faces, known and unknown, celebrities and ordinary people.
American Photo named him one of the "100 Most Important People in Photography" and in the last year alone, he has been profiled on television and in over 100 international publications ranging from Hello to The Economist to Photo District News.
A native of Germany, Mr. Schoeller lives and works in New York City.
Books and DVDs related to artists in this show
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Hasted Hunt was last updated: 2008-10-15
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