Biography

Photographer and filmmaker Hans Namuth is best known for photographing artists in their working environments during the second half of the twentieth century. His portraits of Abstract Expressionists, Minimalists, and Pop artists have significantly contributed to public understanding of artistic process and shaped many artists’ public identity. For example, Namuth’s well-known photograph of Jackson Pollock energetically thrusting paint onto a canvas on the floor was published in ARTnews in 1951, capturing the public’s attention and offering a lens into the artist’s innovative process.  

In 1977, Namuth photographed Louise Nevelson in front of her environmental installation in The Chapel of the Good Shepherd at Saint Peter’s Church in New York. Nevelson’s sturdy posture and direct gaze reveal her strength and intensity, characteristics for which the frequently photographed artist was known. Behind her is one of five large sculptural wall panels commissioned by the church. Painted all white, the environment provides a sharp contrast to Nevelson’s colorful clothing and oversized sculptural jewelry, highlighting the grandiose personality of the artist.  

This work is the first by Hans Namuth to enter SJMA’s permanent collection and brings depth to the museum’s growing holdings of Louise Nevelson.  

Biography
Namuth was born in Essen, Germany in 1915 and died in 1990. He moved to New York in 1941, where he lived the remainder of his life. He studied at the New School for Social Research with the photographer Josef Breitenbach and the art director Alexey Brodovitch. Namuth worked as a freelance photographer, his images appearing in ARTnews and Connaissance des Arts, as well as lifestyle magazines like Life, Look, Harper's Bazaar, and Time. His photographs have been shown at the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Modern Art, New York, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and Washington, D.C. His works are in the collections of Albright-Know, Buffalo, New York; Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Tucson; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. (acquisitions meeting February 20, 2018)

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