Artists

Andre Giroux (1801-1879)

This famous French painter and photographer is best known for his representations of landscapes and restorations of medieval ruins. In fact, Andre Giroux was in some ways bred to be a photographer due to the fact that his dad invented camera equipment for Daguerre.

While he started out painting, Giroux also etched glass negatives to give his work a mechanical, industrial feel. He would then use his glass etchings as the basis for negatives from which he could reproduce countless photos, a technique that is known as cliché-verre. Keep reading to learn more about the life and work or Andre Giroux.

EJ Bellocq (1873-1949)

Although most of his work wasn’t seen until after his death, this wealthy Creole man is most famous for his photos of prostitutes, opium dens and other seedy areas. While most of his work was tragically destroyed after his death, some photos survived and were published in a collection entitled Bellocq: Photographs from Storyville (1996).

In general, EJ Bellocq’s photographs focused on a single woman, either nude or partially dressed. Also, in almost all of his pictures, the faces of the women are scratched out. Although there was some speculation that those who found the photos vandalized them, most experts agree that Bellocq himself was the one who scratched out the faces in order to protect the women’s identities. Read on to learn more about EJ Bellocq’s legacy.

Man Ray (1890-1976)

Although he considered himself to be a painter, Man Ray was an American photographer who did work in fashion and portrait photography. However, his most lasting legacy lies in his significant contributions to the Dada and Surrealist art movements.

The famous photographer Man Ray is best known for his work depicting images in the genres of Dadaism, surrealism, and avant-garde imagery. A master of fashion and experimental photography, Man Ray was also a painter, filmmaker, writer and philosopher. Respected as an artistic genius, Man Ray produced provocative and daring photographs.Emmanuel Radnitzky was born on August 27, 1890 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

While he started to dabble in photographic Dada work in 1916, as his practice evolved throughout the 1920s, he moved to Paris, claiming that New York was not the right place for him to produce Dada pieces. During his career, Man Ray worked with other great artists, including Picasso, Dali, Arp and Ernst. Keep reading to learn more about the life and work of Man Ray.

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Without a doubt, Andy Warhol is one of the most famous photographers of the 20th century. Known as a leader in the avant-garde art world, Andy Warhol established the Pop Art movement, a trend in the art world that drew its subjects and themes from mass media and popular culture.

While Warhol is famous for his photography, he was also a prolific artist, writer, philosopher and music producer. Although he started out as an illustrator for an advertising company, during the 1960s, Warhol started painting some of his most famous works, including his pictures of the Campbell Soup can and Marilynn Monroe. Keep reading to learn more about the life and legacy of Andy Warhol.

Annie Leibovitz (1949-)

Famous for her portrait work for Rolling Stone magazine, Annie Leibovitz has photographed thousands of celebrities, ranging from John Lennon to Jack White. While her photos are famous for gracing the covers of major magazines, her work has come to be greatly respected in the art world for her ability to capture the personalities, egos and vulnerabilities of her subjects.

Over the years, Leibovitz has not only held exhibit shows at some of the nation’s most famous museums but has also published a number of books that contain collections of her work. Read on to learn more about Leibovitz’s life and work.

Jean Baudrillard (1929-2007)

Born June 20, 1929, in Reims, France, Jean Baudrillard began his career as a translator, critic, teacher and, above all, a philosopher. However, his philosophical work often focused on objects and images, paving the way for his thematic focus in his later work in photography. In fact, his PhD thesis was called “Third Cycle Thesis: The System of Objects.” Baudrillard worked as a German teacher at a French high school.

While he is famous for his work in photography, Baudrillard is also a prolific writer, philosopher and cultural theorist. Although he refused to categorize his ideologies, some label Baudrillard as a post-structuralist, a line of thought that establishes that meaning and systems make sense only in their relationship to each other.

One of the highlights of his career was his installation and symposium entitled The Murder of the Image (2001). In this exhibition, Baudrillard claimed that photography is the perfect crime, in which the picture kills the image of the object by only leaving an illusion of the original. Keep reading to learn more about the prolific work of Baudrillard.

William Wegman

While you may have never heard of William Wegman, you have probably seen photos of his trademark Weimaraner dogs in funny, yet sincere poses. William Wegman Educational Background William Wegman was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts on December 2, 1943. He received a Bachelors of Fine Arts in painting from Massachusetts College of Art in Boston in 1965. Two years later, he received a Masters of Fine Arts degree… Read more >

Diane Arbus

New York photographer Diane Arbus was known for her powerful and emotional images of the outsiders in society, including the ugly, different or bizarre, as well as ordinary people she met on the streets. Arbus was regarded as a pioneer in flash photography, photographing her subjects close up in daylight. She would use a flash to isolate her subjects’ images and explore the themes of dysfunction and… Read more >

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is a photographer who might be most well-known for her conceptual self-portraits. In her most recent series, from 2003, Sherman presents herself as a series of clowns. She has also posed as B-film, foreign film and film noir actresses. In addition to her self-portraits, Sherman has also been involved in fashion photography. In 2006, she created a series of fashion photographs for designer Marc Jacobs.

Keep reading to learn more about Cindy Sherman.

Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn is a photographer from the Netherlands who has worked with such well-known musical artists as Depeche Mode, U2 and Nirvana. Corbijn tends to prefer black-and-white images over highly polished glamour photography.

Keep reading to learn more about Anton Corbijn.

Sophie Calle

Sophie Calle’s work often depicts human vulnerability and examines identity and intimacy. Calle’s work, such as her projects The Hotel and The Address Book, have been known to generate controversy, as they tend to trespass into average citizen’s private lives.

In addition to photography, Calle is famous for her conceptual and installation art. Keep reading to learn more about Sophie Calle.

Andreas Gursky

Andreas Gursky is a famous German photographer who is well-known for taking photographs of large subjects, such as industrial plants and hotels, from high viewpoints. The only child of a commercial photographer, Gursky often practices photojournalism, although he sometimes uses digital editing software to manipulate his photographs.

In 2007, Gursky’s photograph 99 Cent II Diptychon sold for $3.3 million. Read on to learn more about Andreas Gursky.

David LaChapelle

David LaChapelle practices fashion, advertising and fine art photography and is well-known for his humorous and often-surreal style. Throughout his career, LaChapelle has photographed such celebrities as Marilyn Manson, Uma Thurman and Drew Barrymore.

In addition to photography, David LaChapelle has directed music videos and advertisements. He has also directed films and published several books.

Keep reading to learn more about the career of David LaChapelle.