The first Italian retrospective on Philippe Halsman arrives, after Rome, also in Milan, at Palazzo Reale

After Rome, the exhibition Philippe Halsman. Flash of Genius dedicated to one of the most original and enigmatic portrait painters of the 20th century, author of 101 LIFE covers, also arrives in Milan, at the Palazzo Reale. The second stage of the first Italian retrospective on Philippe Halsman (Riga, 1906 - New York, 1979) is in fact open to the public from June 15 to September 1, 2024, again curated by Alessandra Mauro. In collaboration with theHalsman Archive in New York, the exhibition presents more than one hundred photographic prints spanning his entire career, ranging between color and black and white, accompanied by videos and various materials.

Halsman has always operated between gaze and introspection, immediate insight, flashes of genius and refined technique. With his iconic Jumpology series he has immortalized celebrities of all kinds, from crowned heads to scientists, from heads of state to movie stars. And with Salvador Dalí he has created images considered true performance art Photograph after photograph, we are then immersed in Philippe Halsman’s universe, in a visual game that involves the photographer, the subject in front of the lens and the viewer. His collaborations with major newspapers and his intense portraits of the world of Hollywood show business have enabled Halsman to create a unique and revolutionary genre and style.

The exhibition is promoted and produced by Comune di Milano|Cultura, Palazzo Reale, Civita Mostre e Musei and Contrasto, with the support of BNL BNP Paribas and Leica Camera Italia. The catalog is published by Contrasto.

Notes on the photographer

Born in Riga, Latvia, in 1906, Philippe Halsman began his career as a photographer in Paris in the 1930s, working for prestigious magazines such as Vogue and Vu. In the 1940s, during World War II and thanks to his friendship with Albert Einstein, he obtained a visa to the United States. Once in New York, his reputation as a great portrait painter was further consolidated. Working with major newspapers and producing intense portraits for Hollywood stars, Halsman developed a revolutionary genre and style. His photographs are the result of explosive creativity and the synergies that emerge in his encounters with great and distinguished personalities.

An emblematic example is his collaboration with Salvador Dali, with whom he produced a series of portraits in which the artist and the photographer merged to create extraordinary images. Halsman also invented a method to amuse and surprise his subjects: he made them jump in front of the lens. This approach gave birth to jumpology, a game that allowed Halsman to photograph from Marilyn Monroe to the Dukes of Windsor, ushering in a new way of representing people through photography.

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Closed Mondays. Thursday, August 15, 2024 special opening from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

The first Italian retrospective on Philippe Halsman arrives, after Rome, also in Milan, at Palazzo Reale

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