For years, Ron Galella, “the godfather of U.S. paparazzi culture,” has provided the world a glimpse into the off-limits world of celebrity. With Viva l’Italia!, a deeper and more probing Galella emerges. He sets out to find his own Italian roots, and in so doing, takes us on a viaggio as he combs his vast archive for images of Italian and Italian-American actors, artists, and fashion designers, along with a wide range of other cultural icons. Galella’s tour begins in Rome’s famed Cinecittà where Federico Fellini relaxes between takes on a film set. It was Fellini who proclaimed, “paparazzi are bandits of images,” coining the word with his character Signor Paparazzo in La Dolce Vita.
As he continues on, Galella presents us with rare portraits of Italy’s most famous sons and daughters, including Virni Lisi, Isabella Rossellini, Silvana Mangano, Marlon Brando, Monica Bellucci, Carla Bruni, and Sophia Loren. Never one to shy away from bad boys, he even includes the “Dapper Don,” John Gotti, emerging from federal court in Manhattan. The appeal and power of Galella’s beautiful photography is complimented by extemporaneous quotes he has amassed over a half-century of travel and celebrity encounters. “You look Italian,” quipped Anna Magnani as Ron captured her in Rome, during the filming of The Secret of Santa Vittoria, with Virna Lisi and Anthony Quinn. Some crossed the ocean, some changed their names, some were born in disparate locations as with Dean Martin of Steubenville, Ohio, and Frank Sinatra of Hoboken, New Jersey; but they all brought with them passion born of Italy-love of cinema, music, art, and fashion-as Galella triumphantly proclaims with Viva l’Italia! Available to purchase here.
Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, was a superstar of unprecedented and epic proportions, and is still the best-selling recording artist of all time. An icon raised in the spotlight, but ever reclusive and terribly shy, Jackson was the ideal subject for paparazzo extraordinaire Ron Galella, the nation’s most famous celebrity photojournalist. Galella shot Michael throughout his whole life. Finding intimate moments with the legend offstage, he captured candid, beautiful, unguarded portraits of the man behind the mask and a lifetime of style and glamour. Over the years Galella also captured Michael in the company of fellow celebrities-drawn, like Galella himself, to the biggest and brightest star of them all-including Muhammad Ali, Diana Ross, Chuck Berry, Brooke Shields, Jane Fonda, Liberace, Quincy Jones, Barry Manilow, Emmanuel Lewis, Don King, Liza Minnelli, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Sophia Loren, Sylvester Stallone, Ted Kennedy, Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston, Donald Trump, Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna, and Marcel Marceau. He was able to find the personal side of Michael in images of him with his children, his sister Janet and the rest of the Jackson family, and even his pet chimpanzee, Bubbles. In a tribute to the life and memory of Michael Jackson, Galella has compiled his comprehensive body of images of the King of Pop for the first time ever in Man in the Mirror: Michael Jackson. Available to purchase here.
Join the powerHouse Arena
for the Exhibition Opening & Book Release Party for Man in the Mirror & Viva l’Italia.
Wednesday, January 27, 7-9 PM
37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY
More Info: 718.666.3049
RSVP: maninthemirror@powerhousebooks.com
Prestigious fashion photographer Steven Meisel has shot for Vogue Italy on numerous occasions, so many that’s his work is now being turned into a publication. The coveted publication brings together all the work he’s done for the magazine since 1988.
The book features the editorials and cover pages created by Meisel for Vogue Italy. There are 317 covers, no less, although since the edition closed Meisel has continued to decorate the covers of the publication with his photos. The book is a limited edition created by Mallard/Janvier and it reflects the fascinating relationship between the photographer and Vogue Italy. You can get your hands on the book for €49 at www.mallard-janvier.com. (more…)
Renowned fashion house Prada will be releasing a new book titled “Prada”. The 706-page retrospective publication, looks back at 30 years of innovation in the world of fashion, architecture, art, communications, and cinema.
“For Prada, fashion, luxury and style go beyond producing an infinity of clothes and shoes, so the book wants to illustrate the various aspects through which Prada expresses itself,” said Patrizio Bertelli, chief executive officer of Prada Group.
The book is published by Prada Progetto Arte, soon to be available through Prada flagship stores worldwide, select bookstores, and Prada.com. Retail is set at 100 Euros.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
157 Rivington Street
New York NY 10002
T. 212 253 2180
“The Front Door photos are a summation of everything I have ever learned. The photos are taken in front of the door at 161 Essex Street, which leads into Clayton Hats, Clayton Gallery and the Outlaw Art Museum. This also happens to be the place I live.
The front door represented two things for me: It was the Wall of Fame where I played host to many of the local graffiti writers and it was the background for many of the shots from the Hall of Fame The period represented is from 1985 to 2002. … The L.E.S. in the ’80s and into the ’90s was not the hip place it is today. For the most part, the photos were representative of people who lived in the section that outsiders considered dangerous and that was normally out of bounds for those who had no business being there.”
“For me, taking the front door photos was magic. It was like touching someone’s soul. We were sharing a moment in time together, in a very intimate and deep way. I always felt a union, a deep connection and respect for my subjects. We were one. We were exploring our inner selves to each other. I was saving a presence, a spirit, the image of a person from the moment, the here and now, for the future. All of us were the Lower East Side.”
Book publishers Rizzoli present the first book to document the work, from fashion and art to design and performance, of famed Paris-based fashion designer Martin Margiela. Self-titled, the hardcover selection will see a release in October of 2009, at select booksellers, with a price tag of $100 USD. (more…)
In The Shell Game, Steve Alten illustrates how this was all done for oil. Thousands of innocent Americans were allowed to be martyred in exchange for the excuse to go to war in the Middle East. The first target: Iraq. The next target: Iran. And as long as Americans are not allowed to investigate what exactly happened on the morning of September 11, 2001, Americans are vulnerable to future attacks.
Eight years after 9/11, we have a new president who, while campaigning, appealed to advocacy groups with his platform of government transparency. Yet in the days since Obama has taken office, nothing has changed. Citizens still cry out and petition to understand how a reclusive Islamic leader could orchestrate the hijacking of four commercial planes on American soil. How did bin Laden divert the fighter jets? Why was there never an investigation into the events of 9/11? When so many countries warned us of 9/11 in advance, why did we not listen? Why was no one in the Bush administration fired after 9/11?
In his gripping novel, Alten weaves the story of how the next 9/11 could be orchestrated with even farther-reaching effects. Described as making the “unpalatable irresistible,” Alten weaves the story of how 9/11, if left uninvestigated, is destined to repeat itself.
Vibe, the legendary Hip-Hop and R&B magazine that folded six weeks ago under a pile of debt, will be resurrected with a new approach — as a Web-focused publication with a greater emphasis on Vibe’s roots. A group led by the private-equity firm InterMedia Partners and InterMedia’s luxury magazine publisher, Uptown Media, has reached an agreement to acquire Vibe and its Web site. The new owners say they plan to relaunch Vibe.com in the next few weeks.
Ad pages at Vibe fell nearly 40% in the first half of this year, compared with a 28% decline for the magazine industry, according to the Publishers Information Bureau. In this environment, more publishers are reducing their focus on print (as they should), uncertain how much of the lost advertising might return as the economy recovers. The new owners of Vibe hope their emphasis on the online edition will help offset their risk.
They intend to bring out the print edition only at the end of the year and then publish it quarterly rather than monthly, possibly increasing the frequency after 2010. They declined to disclose the transaction’s financial terms.
August 12th marks the US release of Scott Schuman’s long awaited book, The Sartorialist, which follows the same format as his acclaimed website. The book will be printed through Penguin, with both a paperback version, and limited edition hardcover making itself available to select book sellers. Along with the book launch, Schuman will be going on a book signing tour as well as opening up SartoriaLUST pop-up shops, and various other events surrounding the launch of the book. A worldwide roll-out can be expected in early September. Participating book sellers include: Amazon (US, UK, FR), Barnes and Noble, Borders (US, UK), Foyles, Indie Bound, and Waterstones, with a pre-order now live through Amazon.
We’ve all done it and we’ve been hypocrites and complained about other lovers doing it on the train, restaurant, street corner, or board meeting. The “it” is making out in public, please don’t sit there and deny that you’ve been caught in the moment and shared a kiss in public; it’s human nature.
You’ll be amazed, disgusted, turned on/off viewing the new series Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places by photographer Dennis Duijinhouwer. Duijinhouwer has managed to capture a bunch of random public intimate moments. Don’t be afraid to look at the images after jump in fear that you’re in a photo with that person you wish you never met. For more of Dennis’ honest brand of photography please visit dennisduijhouwer.com. (more…)
