CAMERA dedicates an exhibition to American photographer Eve Arnold. Unpublished works also on display

From February 25 to June 4, 2023 CAMERA - Italian Center for Photography in Turin presents Eve Arnold. The Work, 1950-1980, curated by Monica Poggi and realized in collaboration with Magnum Photos. An exhibition dedicated to a great photographer of the 20th century: Eve Arnold (Philadelphia, 1912 - London, 2012) who knew how to tell the world with a passionate personal approach. The American photographer was the first woman, along with Inge Morath, to join the prestigious Magnum Photos agency in 1951.

Determination, curiosity and, above all, a willingness to escape from any stereotype or easy categorization allowed her to give life to an eclectic production of works, from portraits of the great stars of film and show business to investigative reportage, in which she tackled fundamental themes and issues in the public debate of the past and present.

The exhibition displays some 170 images, many of which have never before been exhibited, and presents the photographer’s complete oeuvre from her earliest black-and-white shots of 1950s New York to her last color works, taken at the age of eighty-five at the turn of the century. The selected works address themes and issues such asracism in the United States,women’s empowerment, and the interaction between different cultures of the world. His fame is linked to his numerous shoots on the sets of unforgettable films, where he portrayed the great stars of the period from Marlene Dietrich to Marilyn Monroe, from Joan Crawford to Orson Welles.

“Metaphorically speaking,” said Robert Capa, “his work falls somewhere between Marlene Dietrich’s legs and the bitter life of migrant workers in the potato fields.” And it was a dedicated shoot of the German actress, obtained almost by chance, that turned the spotlight on her talent, giving her access to show business. The best known shots are those featuring Marilyn Monroe, with whom she formed a true artistic partnership. The relationship with Marilyn gives rise to images that have become famous mainly for telling the story of the actress’s hidden personality, concealed behind her diva facade. Eve Arnold demonstrates an extraordinary ability to empathize with her subjects, breaking down barriers and reticence, including through the iconic portraits to figures such as Joan Crawford, who has herself immortalized during endless beauty rituals, or Malcolm X, who allows her to follow him at close range during the most important Black Muslims’ rallies and of whom she creates a portrait that immediately becomes iconic.

Images of the controversial leader find a place in the exhibition alongside the various reports Eve Arnold devoted to the black community and the claims of African Americans that were gaining ground throughout the United States in the 1950s. Her first work is in fact a reportage devoted to the many fashion shows in Harlem, organized in the total indifference of the white fashion world. Made as an exercise for a course at the New School for Social Research in New York taught by the famous Art Director of Harper’s Bazaar, Alexey Brodovitch, the project transformed her in a very short time into one of the most sought-after authors by international newspapers and magazines. These shots are revolutionary both in their choice of subject matter and style: breaking out of the glossy aesthetic of magazines of the period, Arnold narrates spontaneous moments behind the scenes, the anticipation before the show, the impatience of the audience. The work is shot in low-light situations, and, not wanting to use flash, Eve Arnold spends hours in the darkroom to enhance the intimate atmosphere of the settings, laying the groundwork for her particular style where the theatricality of natural lighting and emotional closeness to the subjects are unavoidable. The report was considered too scandalous for American newspapers, so much so that it was published in 1951 by the London-based Picture Post and then by several European magazines.

This was to be followed by numerous other reportages from around the world, such as those made in China in 1979 and the project on theuse of the veil in the Middle East, initiated after she witnessed a speech by Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba urging women to remove their veils to enter modernity.

Eve Arnold’s career is an ode to women’s empowerment. Her subjects are mostly women: workers, mothers, children, divas, nuns, models, students, immortalized without ever slipping into stereotypes or easy categorization, with the sole intention of knowing, understanding and telling. This principle guides her even in the most intimate and delicate photographs, such as those taken inside the maternity wards of hospitals around the world, a subject to which she constantly returns to exorcise the pain she suffered with the loss of a child in 1959.

The choice and arrangement of images in the exhibition aims to restore the richness of this photographer’s production, which is also emphasized through numerous archival documents, texts, press proofs, books and magazines.

The exhibition is accompanied by the Eve Arnold catalog, published by the new publishing house Dario Cimorelli editore.

The exhibition is organized by CAMERA in collaboration with Magnum Photos, under the patronage of the Piedmont Region and the City of Turin.

For info: www.camera.to

Image: Eve Arnold, Marilyn Monroe in the Nevada desert during the filming of The Misfits (USA, 1960) © Eve Arnold / Magnum Photo

CAMERA dedicates an exhibition to American photographer Eve Arnold. Unpublished works also on display

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