Bill Cunningham (photographer)
| Bill Cunningham | |
|---|---|
 Bill Cunningham in 2010 |
|
| Born | William J. Cunningham 1928/1929 |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Employer | The New York Times |
| Known for | Fashion photography Street photography |
William J. Cunningham (born 1928/9) is a fashion photographer for The New York Times, known for his candid and street photography.
Contents |
[edit] Life and career
Cunningham dropped out of Harvard University in 1948 and moved to New York, where he initially worked in advertising. Not long after, he quit his job and struck out on his own, making hats under the name "William J."[1] After being drafted and serving a tour in the U.S. Army, he returned to New York and got a job writing for the Chicago Tribune.
During his years as a writer, he contributed significantly to fashion journalism, introducing American audiences to Azzedine Alaïa and Jean-Paul Gaultier.[2] While working at the Tribune and at Women's Wear Daily, he began taking photographs of fashion on the streets of New York. As the result of a chance photograph of Greta Garbo, he published a group of his impromptu pictures in the Times in December 1978, which soon became a regular series.[1] His editor, Arthur Gelb, has called these photographs "a turning point for the Times, because it was the first time the paper had run pictures of well-known people without getting their permission."[3]
Cunningham photographs people and the passing scene in the streets of Manhattan every day. Most of his pictures, he has said, are never published.[1] Designer Oscar de la Renta has said, "More than anyone else in the city, he has the whole visual history of the last 40 or 50 years of New York. It's the total scope of fashion in the life of New York."[3] Though he has made a career out of unexpected photographs of celebrities, socialites, and fashion personalities, many in those categories value his company. According to David Rockefeller, Brooke Astor asked he be invited to her 100th birthday party, the only member of the media so honored.[3]
In 2008 he was awarded the title Officier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.[2]
In 2010, filmmaker Richard Press and Philip Gefter of The Times produced Bill Cunningham New York[4], a documentary about Cunningham, including his trademark bicycle and camera,[2]. The film was released on March 16, 2011.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c Cunningham, Bill (October 27, 2002). "Bill on Bill". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A03E5D6153DF934A15753C1A9649C8B63. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
- ^ a b c "Luther and Cunningham Honored by France". Women's Wear Daily. http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/luther-and-cunningham-honored-by-france-1830004?gnewsid=54238f9fa1507133d65fb0bd43e3afbb. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
- ^ a b c Horyn, Cathy (October 27, 2002). "The Picture Subject Talks Back". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E4DC123DF934A15753C1A9649C8B63. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
- ^ IMDB entry, accessed January 4, 2011
[edit] Sources
- Collins, Lauren (March 16, 2009). "Man on the Street: Bill Cunningham Takes Manhattan". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. http://www.webcitation.org/60SAmOGmS.
[edit] External links
- On the Street, Cunningham's weekly slideshow for the Times online
- "Capturing the Elusive Bill Cunningham", New York Times story about Bill Cunningham New York
- The movie "Bill Cunningham New York"
- Facebook: Bill Cunningham
