Items Similar to The water carrier - Thailand 1959 - Large size Black & White Fine Art Print
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7
Fabrizio La TorreThe water carrier - Thailand 1959 - Large size Black & White Fine Art PrintPrinted Later
Printed Later
About the Item
Artwork # 1 of 5 sold in limited edition in perfect condition
The water carrier - Thailand
This photo was made in 1959, printed later, the negative was digitized during the artist's lifetime and the technical parameters (framing, contrast, light, etc.) was approved by him. This is a very high quality fine art prints on 310 gr/m² Fine Art paper with museum quality pigment inks.
Fabrizio La Torre (b. Rome 1921 d. Brussels 2014) was an Italian neo-realist photographer working during the period 1950-1960 who left behind a body of work focussing on three specific geographical areas: Italy, North America, which he spent several months visiting in 1955 and Asia where he lived for five years (1956-61).
Fascinated by the task of capturing moments of truth and intimacy which characterise the human condition all over the world, he gives us moments of insight into life which reach out to us bridging time and distance. He holds up to us an affectionate and benign mirror, always knowing, sometimes amused but never mocking.
In 1965, success came knocking at his door: he was offered the possibility of exhibitions and publication but he turned it down for reasons he never fully explained.
The most we can do is note that this was also the time when the immense talent and historical importance of the photographic works, produced a century earlier by his grandfather Enrico Valenziani, were discovered. This may have made him feel he could not compete, particularly as he came from a family which was possessed of multiple artistic talents but in which no-one claimed to be an artist. Perhaps he saw himself as “a photographer” who was just the grandson of one of the founding fathers of Italian photography. Who knows?
In 1970 he closed his archives and gave away his cameras. He ceased to see his photography as an act of creation but merely as a kind of notebook of his many travels for his job.
In 2009 he agreed to re-open his archives and to have his photos restored and digitised. He also permitted the first printed edition of his art photos.
Far from rejecting the switch to digital photography, he welcomed the freedom to render the shades, the tones, the “sfumature” which photo labs in the 1960s saw as “imperfections”, at a time when hyper contrast was the big thing, deep blacks and anaemic whites were all the rage. Fabrizio La Torre’s vision of the world was full of different shades.
The last few years of his life were spent hard at work. He may have been a little unsteady on his legs but there was nothing wrong with his head - memory intact, imparting clear instructions and sharing many reminiscences. With Jean-Pierre De Neef and his technical team he fine-tuned every single print, perfectly willing to start all over again if necessary to achieve what he had intended 50 years earlier when the photo was taken - the desired composition, lighting and contrast.
The exhibitions, the publications, the encounters with his audience came thick and fast: in Paris at the Italian Institute of Culture in 2010, in Brussels at the Ixelles Museum in 2011, followed by the magnificent Retrospective organised in 2014 in the Principality of Monaco. For a year he worked on a daily basis, taking advantage of this major event to give his final instructions. Fate can be cruel: his heart finally gives out just two weeks before the opening of the exhibition which covers 800 square metres. However, he knows he has done what was necessary, he has passed on his instructions which embody his desire to bring to life his photographic achievements which are centred entirely on the human dimension, man’s adventures, his dreams, his fight for a better life.
Beginning in 2017, his curator, François Bayle, assisted by the team at Brussels Art Edition started work on the photos taken by Fabrizio La Torre in Asia during his five year stay in Thailand (1956-61). In November 2018, in Bangkok, a book entitled “Bangkok That Was” was published in English, which brings together these photos and, using the original notes left by the artist, tells the story of his life in Asia and expresses his affection for its people.
An exhibition with the same title took place for two months at the Serindia Gallery. Afterwards Fabrizio’s photos were taken to their permanent home in Bangkok, the cultural venue of the Central Embassy Mall where they are displayed and on sale all year round.
Meanwhile a new exhibition is planned in Bangkok and a new book published based on the pioneering efforts of Fabrizio La Torre in photographing in 1958 in the storerooms of the National Museum in Bangkok the painstaking lacquerwork representations of daily life of the Siamese people two centuries earlier.
At the very beginning of 2020 Jean-Pierre De Neef, François Bayle and their teams were working enthusiastically on two specific projects: the exhibition and the book on the lacquerwork mentioned above and a very fine exhibition planned for 2021 in New York.
Then along came the virus and upset the best-laid plans. The projects have been postponed, in all probability for a year.
In order to continue funding preparations for these two major projects, the high quality art photos, validated by the artist himself before his death, are now on sale.
This is an opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts to acquire the works of an Italian artist of recognised talent whose works are attractively priced before the exhibition in the USA, thus offering the advantage of a very strong potential for growth.
- Creator:Fabrizio La Torre (1921 - 2014, Italian)
- Creation Year:Printed Later
- Dimensions:Height: 41.34 in (105 cm)Width: 27.56 in (70 cm)Depth: 0.12 in (3 mm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Framing:Framing Options Available
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Brussels, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU157029864542
Fabrizio La Torre, who was born in Rome (Italy) on 11 January 1921 and died in Brussels (Belgium) on 27 August 2014, he was an Italian photographer active for a 15 year period in the 1950s–1960s and whose neorealistic and intimistic works are typical of cinema and photography of that time in Italy. La Torre said that “his parents gave him his first camera, a Bakelite body with non-adjustable lens and focus which produced rather strange half format 18x24 millimeter negatives. It was with it that he took his first photos.” Since then, he tried to take pictures at any occasion especially during the different trips he made during his life, “trying to capture the daily life” of the people he encountered.
La Torre justified his "frenzy of travel" as a pretext to flee from the paternal model and the resumption of management of a family estate.
Since the early 1950s and until the late 1960s, La Torre produced less than 10 thousand photos worldwide. After this period, he gave up photography, gave away or sold his cameras, closed his archives and put them away in boxes where they would remain out of sight for 40 years.
In 2009 he agreed to re-open his archives for examination and study and allowed the restoration of a number of negatives. Gradually a first exhibition was prepared, focussing on Rome in the 1950s and ‘60s, “La Vera vita”. By this time he was 90 years old and in failing health. He realised that this was not a time to hold back and decided to cooperate fully in the restoration of his works. He moved to Brussels, in order to benefit from the availability of the technicians and experts which he would need.
In 2014, La Torre worked every day on preparations for his Retrospective in Monaco. He realised that this was his last chance to display his works as he thought best. Two weeks before the official inauguration, he died. His ashes would be placed in the little cemetery of Cap d’Ail next door to Monaco where his parents and his sister were already at rest.
La Torre never tried to only show the beautiful for fear of "making postcard". For him, "there is only the introduction of the human element that protects from looking like a postcard. This is why my naked landscapes are so rare."
Far from the paparazzi, La Torre developed his own style, working alone, ignoring the surprise and amused comments of Roman photographers obsessed with the Via Veneto and its starlets. They did have in common the laboratory to which they took their films, that of the Nannini Brothers in the city centre, two experts in high contrast images and probably the inventors of the concept of "stolen photos", out of focus and slightly grainy to give the impression of privacy revealed.
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 2010
1stDibs seller since 2021
23 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Brussels, Belgium
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- The water carrier - Thailand 1959 - Full Framed Black & White Fine Art PrintLocated in Brussels, BEArtwork # 1 of 5 sold in limited edition in perfect condition The water carrier - Thailand This is a Minimalist framing & presentation of the artwork : The Fine Art print on Baryt...Category
1950s Photorealist Black and White Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Harbour's Skyline of New York, 1956 - Contemporary Black & White PhotographyLocated in Brussels, BEArtwork sold in perfect condition, print on baryta paper 310 grs pigment inks of museum quality, limited edition of 5 copies New-York, January 1956. The Skyline, this broken line of ...Category
1950s Photorealist Black and White Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Sunrays through the clouds, Afghanistan 2012 - Limited Ed Fine Art PhotographyLocated in Brussels, BEThis is # 1/7 Fine Art Print Limited Edition 42cm x 60 cm VADOR THE SPACE SHOW is the first exhibition of photographs by Stefan Darte which is currently b...Category
2010s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsArchival Ink, Archival Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment
- Low & Fast in the fjords, Norway 2012 - Limited Edition Fine Art PhotographyLocated in Brussels, BEThis is # 2/7 Fine Art Print Limited Edition 42cm x 60 cm VADOR THE SPACE SHOW is the first exhibition of photographs by Stefan Darte which is currently being held in Brussels in the...Category
2010s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsArchival Ink, Archival Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment
- Cloudscape 2, Iraq 2016 - Limited Edition Fine Art PhotographyLocated in Brussels, BEThis is # 1/5 Fine Art Print Limited Edition 70 cm x 100 cm VADOR THE SPACE SHOW is the first exhibition of photographs by Stefan Darte which is currently...Category
2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
- Sunrays through the clouds, Afghanistan 2012 - Limited Ed Fine Art PhotographyLocated in Brussels, BEThis is # 1/7 Fine Art Print Limited Edition 60 cm x 80 cm VADOR THE SPACE SHOW is the first exhibition of photographs by Stefan Darte which is currently being held in Brussels in the coworking area named The Spaces (Gare Maritime - Tour & Taxis) from december 15th up to march 31st Thirty prints are housed in high quality black anodized metal American boxes and all prints are supplied on heavyweight fine art paper printed with museum pigment inks. All photographs are exclusively offered in limited editions in 4 different formats : 42cm x60cm (7+2AP) 60cm x80cm (7+2+AP) 70cm-100cm (5+2AP) 100cmx150cm (3+2AP) Stefan Darte is a fighter pilot in the Belgian Air Force...Category
2010s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsArchival Ink, Archival Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment
You May Also Like
- El PuertoBy Steve SchlackmanLocated in New York, NYSteve Schlackman is a lawyer by profession and a photographer by choice. Fascinated by the magical world of photography since his youth, he honed this...Category
2010s Photorealist Black and White Photography
MaterialsPhotographic Paper, Digital, Photogram, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
- 71_mg_0355By Bob TaborLocated in New York, NYBob Tabor is a well-established, New York based, photographer best known for his exquisite large scaled portraits of subjects ranging from horses to seascapes. It is his unique appro...Category
2010s Photorealist Black and White Photography
MaterialsPhotographic Film, Photographic Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digita...
- Our WaterliliesLocated in Norwalk, CTThis image is part of my Floraphilia portfolio that has been an ongoing visual exploration for over two decades. A B&W portfolio was first published in Lenswork Magazine in 2010, a s...Category
2010s Photorealist Black and White Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Battistero - FirenzeLocated in Milano, MIPhoto taken inside the Battistero - Firenze (Italy). Marcelo Soulé (Buenos Aires, 1958) trained at the Artistic Lyceum and the Brera Academy in Milan. He lives and works between Mil...Category
2010s Photorealist Black and White Photography
MaterialsBlack and White, Inkjet, Pigment
- San GottardoLocated in Milano, MIPhoto taken inside the San Gottardo church - Milan (Italy). Marcelo Soulé (Buenos Aires, 1958) trained at the Artistic Lyceum and the Brera Academy in Milan. He lives and works betw...Category
2010s Photorealist Black and White Photography
MaterialsBlack and White, Inkjet, Pigment
- San GiorgioLocated in Milano, MIPhoto taken inside the San Giorgio church - Milan (Italy). Marcelo Soulé (Buenos Aires, 1958) trained at the Artistic Lyceum and the Brera Academy in Milan. He lives and works betwe...Category
2010s Photorealist Black and White Photography
MaterialsBlack and White, Inkjet, Pigment
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
White Frame Large Mirror
Vintage Carrier
Large Black Vintage Mirror
Large Vintage Black Mirror
Thailand Head
The Wrong Man
Water Carrier
The Water Carriers
Vintage Water Carrier
Kitten Heels Mules Slippers
Liam Gallagher
Mary Hatch
Matthew A Eller
Mikael B
Mike Nichols
Mike Tyson In Boxing
Milton Berle
Morrissey Kevin Cummins