Philippe HalsmanIn Voluptate Mors, Salvador Dali's portrait, 19511981
1981
About the Item
- Creator:Philippe Halsman (1906 - 1979, Latvian)
- Creation Year:1981
- Dimensions:Height: 12.21 in (31 cm)Width: 10.83 in (27.5 cm)
- More Editions & Sizes:numbered 66 on 250Price: $1,273
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:PARIS, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2661213276012
Philippe Halsman
Philippe Halsman’s deep interest in the human face informed a celebrated and decades-spanning career in portrait photography. Shot in black and white, his portrait photographs feature celebrities, artists, politicians and intellectuals. The iconic photographs appeared on the covers of some of the biggest magazines, including Life, Look, Esquire and Paris Match.
Halsman was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1906. When he was 15 years old, he discovered a camera in the attic. He fell in love with taking pictures and spent most of his allowance on his new hobby. He later studied engineering, but left school before earning his degree and moved to Paris to pursue photography.
In the 1930s, Halsman lived in Montparnasse, the artistic center of Paris. He caught his first big break when he approached French writer André Gide to take his portrait. After that, many more writers and actors requested photographs, and Halsman began shooting for Vogue, Viola and Vu.
When World War II broke out, Halsman sent his pregnant wife and daughter to the United States. He could not go with them due to his Latvian passport. As luck would have it, he was pen pals with famed physicist Albert Einstein, who intervened and ensured that Halsman was granted a visa. He arrived in New York City in 1940.
In America, Halsman had to start from scratch. A turning point was when beauty tycoon Elizabeth Arden used one of his photographs to advertise her Victory Red lipstick. In the early 1940s, Halsman met artist Salvador Dalí, and the two became friends and partners. One of their most notable collaborations was the 1948 photograph Dalí Atomicus, which shows Dalí, his cats, canvas, furniture and water floating in the air.
Throughout the rest of his career, Halsman was a prolific contributor to Life magazine and his photographs were on the cover 101 times. In 1958, Popular Photography named him one of the “World’s Ten Greatest Photographers”.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Philippe Halsman’s photography.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: PARIS, France
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View All1980s Black and White Photography
Silver Gelatin
1930s Surrealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
1940s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s Surrealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
1930s Surrealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
Mid-20th Century Portrait Paintings
Oil
You May Also Like
20th Century Surrealist Portrait Photography
Silver Gelatin
1930s Surrealist Black and White Photography
Silver Gelatin
1930s Surrealist Black and White Photography
Silver Gelatin
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Surrealist Black and White Photography
Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogram
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography
Photographic Paper