Robert De Niro Pointing Gun, Taxi Driver, New York, 1975
Widewalls
Dec., 1, 2022
Balasz Takac
Fahey/Klein Gallery Celebrates Steve Schapiro's Life, Legacy, and Long Career as a Photojournalist
In the last few years, we have lost many artists who have changed the course of art history. Among them is Steve Schapiro, a celebrated photographer who died earlier this year at the age of 87.
A photojournalist and social documentarian, Schapiro bore witness to some of the most significant political and cultural moments in history. He is today celebrated as a chronicler of a period of great social changes in the United States.
This December, Fahey/Klein Gallery will present Steve Schapiro: “I Love You...Leave A Message”, a retrospective of images from Schapiro’s archive that highlight his legacy and long career as a photojournalist.
A Nod To The Famous Photographer
The upcoming survey tends to emphasize the stunning gaze of Steve Schapiro that was, at large socio-politicly motivated. Besides being one of the most distinct photographers who documented the American Civil Rights Movement, he managed to capture the very essence of the zeitgeist, including the rise of popular culture. It is not surprising that examples of his body of work are held in numerous private collections and institutions across the country.
A Sneak Peak Into The Schapiro Oeuvre
Schapiro started working as a freelance photographer in the early 1960s for influential publications such as Life, Rolling Stone, TIME, and Newsweek. During this time, he made captivating photo essays regarding the Civil Rights movement, the lives of migrant farm workers, the issues surrounding addiction in poor communities, and Robert Kennedy’s political campaigns.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Schapiro shifted his focus to Hollywood by taking images of popular figures in music, art, and film. The photographer produced an array of memorable behind-the-scenes images for films such as The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Midnight Cowboy, Chinatown, etc., as well as captured the likes of David Bowie, Barbra Streisand, and Lou Reed.
Steve Schapiro at Fahey/Klein Gallery
David Fahey underlined that "Steve was a talented image-maker that created powerful photographs with passion and grace. His pictures are objective but also interpretive."
He is an expert storyteller with a single image, as well as with a photo essay - making images that are informational, emotional, and truth-telling. His photographs are not only a record of a time and place but also have a way of addressing collective feelings (past & present) in our culture and society.
Steve Schapiro “I Love You...Leave A Message” will be on view at Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles from December 1st, 2022, until January 21st, 2023.