Staley-Wise is pleased to announce the exhibition Arthur Elgort: The Big Picture. The exhibition spans the renowned fashion photographer’s five decade career. The Big Picture offers an all encompassing view of Elgort's celebrated work and shows him as the original artist who introduced the "snapshot" style of fashion photography featuring models with freedom of movement, natural light and reportage influence.
The photographs of Arthur Elgort created a sensation in his 1971 debut in British Vogue when a breath of fresh air wafted into the world of fashion photography. His free and easy style freed his models to move. His young and pretty models wore less make-up, were more casual and lively and moved about freely in outdoor locations such as city street, pools, and beaches which characterized his style. Elgort quickly became one of the best known and most emulated photographers and his influence changed the face of photography.
Arthur Elgort was born in 1940 and raised in New York City. He studied painting at Hunter College and transitioned into photography. He attributes much of his spontaneous and liberated style to his lifelong love of music and dance, especially jazz and ballet. In his long career he has worked on major advertising campaigns, as well as on French, Italian, British, and American Vogue, where he continues to work today. He has published several books, including Personal Fashion Photographs, 1983, and the best seller Models Manual, 1994.
The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the Steidl book, Arthur Elgort: The Big Picture, which will be released in October 2014.