Jack MitchellPop Artist Robert Indiana posing in his studio with his famous LOVE sculpture1969
1969

About the Item
- Creator:Jack Mitchell (1925 - 2013, American)
- Creation Year:1969
- Dimensions:Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Senoia, GA
- Reference Number:
Jack Mitchell
Over his four-decade career, photographer Jack Mitchell chronicled the changing cultural landscape of mid- to late-20th-century America by capturing the greatest influencers and innovators in the performing and visual arts.
Mitchell, a master of lighting patterns in photography who had his first portrait published at the age of 15, organized more than 5,400 photographic sessions in his lifetime involving a list of sitters that is as astounding as it is long. A veritable roll call of heroes and idols, his studio guests include painters, dancers, actors, comedians, singers, composers, directors, writers, impresarios and anyone else who helped shape the zeitgeist.
During World War II, when he was only 16 years old, Mitchell photographed Veronica Lake for a Daytona newspaper. It was his first celebrity gig, but that didn’t stop the audacious wunderkind from asking the actress to sweep back her signature “peekaboo” locks so he could get her full face in the frame. Lake, who was in Florida to help the war effort and at the peak of her career, politely obliged, and the two later became lifelong friends.
Mitchell, who was openly gay (his long-term partner and manager, Robert Plavik, died in 2009), also struck up a close relationship with Gloria Swanson. From 1960 to 1970, he served as her personal paparazzo, snapping a variety of “candid” shots of the aging but eternally glamorous actress as if she were a pre-mobile/pre-social-media reality star.
The diverse publications in which Mitchell’s work has appeared — in addition to the New York Times, there’s Rolling Stone, Dance Magazine, People, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Time, Harper’s Bazaar and Newsweek — testify to the power of his arresting visual language and its ability to transcend themes and disciplines.
Mitchell also famously shot a series of intimate portraits of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in November 1980, just one month before the Beatles singer was assassinated. A picture from this session became the cover of People’s memorial issue, one of the magazine’s best-selling editions to date.
The showbiz gloss should not distract from Mitchell’s meticulous approach to photography. He insisted on producing his own prints in order to achieve what he deemed museum-quality patina and definition.
“Jack shot many rolls of black-and-white film, and always some color transparencies, of every famous person he photographed,” says Craig Highberger, a friend of the late photographer and the executive director of the Jack Mitchell Archives.
In the world of dance, the field for which Mitchell is best known, his striking and incisive shots of legendary performers and choreographers reflect the visceral energy that these luminaries introduced to the discipline in the 1960s and ’70s, widely considered the Golden Age of American dance theater.
“Jack’s photographs of dancers during his lifetime are a historic chronicle of an amazing period in dance history. He was Alvin Ailey’s dance company photographer from 1961 to 1994,” says Highberger, noting that Mitchell’s collection of 10,000 black-and-white Ailey prints now belongs to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Mitchell’s dance images are at once ethereal and powerfully dynamic. Not only do they evoke movement through elegant poses and disciplined muscular tension, but they also convey an intimate energy radiating directly from his subjects, as if he had magically unlocked a reflective mood or a character trait, without contrivance.
The collection of authentic Jack Mitchell photography on 1stDibs includes his black and white photography, color photography, nude photography and more.
Shipping & Returns
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Senoia, GA
- Return Policy
A return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- American classical violinist Eugene Fodor, photographed for After Dark magazineBy Jack MitchellLocated in Senoia, GA11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of American classical violinist Eugene Fodor, photographed for After Dark magazine in 1975. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives ...Category
1970s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Dancer & Choreographer David Parsons studio portrait, signed by Jack MitchellBy Jack MitchellLocated in Senoia, GA11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of dancer and choreographer David Parsons, 2003. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly fr...Category
Early 2000s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Dancer & Choreographer David Parsons studio portrait, signed by Jack MitchellBy Jack MitchellLocated in Senoia, GA11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of dancer and choreographer David Parsons, 1986. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly fr...Category
1980s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Meredith Monk & Ping Chong performing their travelogue series 'Paris'By Jack MitchellLocated in Senoia, GA11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Meredith Monk and Ping Chong in "Paris", 1987. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certi...Category
1980s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Meredith Monk & Ping Chong in 'Paris', signed by Jack MitchellBy Jack MitchellLocated in Senoia, GA11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Meredith Monk and Ping Chong in "Paris", 1987. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly f...Category
1980s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- New York City Ballet dancers Peter Martins & Peter SchaufussBy Jack MitchellLocated in Senoia, GA11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of New York City Ballet dancers Peter Martins and Peter Schaufuss, 1975. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the...Category
1970s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Debbie Harry on the set of The Foreigner East Village 1977 (Blondie photograph)By Fernando NataliciLocated in NEW YORK, NYDebbie Harry photograph New York, 1977 by Fernando Natalici: Cooler than cool... Debbie Harry, New York, 1977, photographed on the set of "The Foreigner" by celebrated New York unde...Category
1970s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Irving Penn Leon Levinstein ICP 1978By Irving PennLocated in NEW YORK, NYIrving Penn/ Leon Levinstein ICP, 1978: Rare vintage original 1970s International Center of Photography (ICP) press photograph published on the occasio...Category
1970s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
$640 Sale Price20% Off - Joseph Kennedy IIIBy Andy WarholLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is a unique work. Stamped on verso by The Estate of Andy Warhol and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Annotated with Foundation inventory number. The work comes wi...Category
1980s Pop Art Portrait Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Self-PortraitBy Andy WarholLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis work is unique. Stamped twice on the reverse by both The Estate of Andy Warhol and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts...Category
1980s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Jean-Michel Basquiat photograph 1979 (Nick Taylor of Gray)By Nicholas TaylorLocated in NEW YORK, NYPhotograph of Jean Michel Basquiat, New York, 1979: This rare Basquiat photograph was taken from Nicholas Taylor’s well-documented portfolio exploring his friendship with Jean-Michel...Category
1980s Pop Art Portrait Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
$1,800 Sale Price28% Off - Photograph of Keith Haring and Juan Rivera in the ParkBy Andy WarholLocated in Los Angeles, CAKeith Haring was an American artist and activist known for his iconic paintings and street art. After moving to New York City in the late 1970s he became immersed in the city's stree...Category
1980s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
Recently Viewed
View MoreThe 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Trusted Global Delivery