A remarkable collection of portraits taken thirty-five years ago by photographer Michael Somoroff showcases the legendary master photographers of the 20th century in their most defining moments. The body of work, titled 'Master Photographers: Portraits by Michael Somoroff,' represents Somoroff's personal tribute to his photographic heroes and mentors who shaped his artistic vision.
Inspired by the famous quote from Irving Penn that 'A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart, and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it, it is in one word, effective,' Somoroff embarked on an ambitious project to document the giants of photography. His subjects included renowned photographers such as Brassaï, Ralph Gibson, André Kertész, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Arnold Newman, and Helmut Newton, among others.
Somoroff's introduction to these legendary artists came through his father, Ben Somoroff, a pre-eminent still-life photographer who not only exposed his son to their work but also facilitated personal introductions to many of these masters. Each portrait in the collection captures what curator Diana Edkins describes as 'the quintessential moment,' defining a unique period in photography that marked the climax of the analog photographic experience.
The photographer's journey began at Parsons The New School for Social Research in New York City, where he studied before relocating to Hamburg, Germany. In Europe, Somoroff found his artistic calling under the guidance of F.C. Gundlach and other influential photographers including Brassaï, Jeanloup Sieff, and Robert Doisneau. His European experience launched a successful career that saw him photographing for virtually every major magazine on the continent.
After establishing himself in Europe, Somoroff returned to the United States and expanded his creative pursuits beyond photography. He became an internationally celebrated director and cameraman, eventually becoming a senior partner in MacGuffin Films Ltd., one of the world's most successful commercial production companies. This diversification demonstrated his ability to translate his photographic vision into moving images.
Somoroff's artistic evolution continued with notable projects that gained international recognition. In 2011, his work 'Absence of Subject,' which appropriated select images of August Sander as an homage to the German portrait photographer, was published as a monograph titled 'Absence of Subject: The Images of Michael Somoroff and August Sander.' This same work was also exhibited on Piazza San Marco during the prestigious 2011 Venice Biennale.
One of Somoroff's most significant honors came in 2006 when the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, extended an unprecedented invitation for him to install his acclaimed photo-based sculptural work, 'Illumination I,' on the chapel grounds. This marked the first such invitation in the chapel's history and represented the only addition to the sacred space since Barnett Newman's 'Broken Obelisk' was placed there thirty years earlier. The groundbreaking installation was documented in a book published by the chapel, featuring an essay by renowned art historian David Anfam.
Today, Somoroff's work is held in the permanent collections of prestigious institutions including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He is currently represented by two prominent galleries: the Feroz Gallery, owned by Julian Sander (great-grandson of portrait photography master August Sander), and the Thomas Schulte Gallery in Bonn. The 'Master Photographers' collection has been compiled into a book authored by W. Ewing and published by Grafiche Damiani, making these intimate portraits of photography's greatest figures accessible to a broader audience.
