Photographers who capture an iconic image are often confronted with a paradox: the celebration of a single photograph overshadows the entirety an artistic oeuvre. Yet what happens in those rare situations when a single photographer is responsible for scores of iconic images?

This is the question that was explored by the Halsman: Facets and Faces exhibition. Philippe Halsman (b. Riga, 1906; d. New York, 1979) remains one of history’s most esteemed photographers, yet there is no consensus as to what constitutes his most important work. The groundbreaking jumpology series that created a bold vision of identity through movement? His famed pcitures of Alfred Hitchcock that set a new standard for interpretive portrait photography? His collaborations with Salvador Dalì that are a monument of the Surrealist movement? By juxtaposing these disparate facets of Halsman’s artistic expression, this exhibition assembled a harmonious portrait of a photographer whose genius transcends any single image.

CLAIR Gallery presented Halsman: Facets and Faces from December 15, 2016 to January 12, 2017 at Franz-Joseph-Strasse 10 in Munich. Vernissage the evening of Thursday December 15, 19h30. For more information about the exhibition, contact Anna-Patricia Kahn at anna@clair.me

Purchase Information: The featured image is Eartha Kitt jumping by Philippe Halsman, 1954. Certified vintage print. Copyright the Philippe Halsman archive, Courtesy of the CLAIR Gallery. Purchase inquiries are welcome via email at anna@clair.me