Leonard Freed
Encyclopedia
Leonard Freed was a documentary photojournalist and longtime Magnum
member. He was born to Jewish, working-class parents of Eastern European descent.
and discovered a new passion. He traveled in Europe
and Africa
before returning to the United States where he attended the New School
and studied with Alexey Brodovitch
, the art director of Harper's Bazaar
. In 1958 he moved to Amsterdam
to photograph its Jewish community. Through the 1960s he continued to work as a freelance photojournalist, traveling widely. He documented such events and subjects as the Civil Rights movement in America (1964-65), the Yom Kippur War
in 1973, and the New York City police department (1972-79). His career blossomed during the American civil rights movement, when he traveled the country with Martin Luther King, Jr.
in his celebrated march across the US from Alabama to Washington. This journey gave him the opportunity to produce his 1968 book, Black in White America, which brought considerable attention. His work on New York City law enforcement also led to a book, Police Work which was published in 1980.
Early in Freed's career, Edward Steichen
purchased three photographs from Freed for the collection of the Museum of Modern Art
. In 1967, Cornell Capa
selected Freed as one of five photographers to participate in his "Concerned Photography" exhibition. Freed joined Magnum Photos
in 1972. Publications to which Freed contributed over the years included Der Spiegel
, Die Zeit
, Fortune
, Libération
, Life
, Look
, Paris-Match, Stern
, and The Sunday Times Magazine of London.
In later years, Freed continued shooting photographs in Italy, Turkey, Germany, Lebanon and the U.S. He also shot four films for Japanese, Dutch and Belgian television.
on November 29, 2006.
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
member. He was born to Jewish, working-class parents of Eastern European descent.
Career
Freed had wanted to be a painter, but began taking photographs in the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and discovered a new passion. He traveled in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
before returning to the United States where he attended the New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
and studied with Alexey Brodovitch
Alexey Brodovitch
Alexey Brodovitch was a Russian-born photographer, designer and instructor who is most famous for his art direction of fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar from 1938 to 1958.- Early life in Russia :...
, the art director of Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
. In 1958 he moved to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to photograph its Jewish community. Through the 1960s he continued to work as a freelance photojournalist, traveling widely. He documented such events and subjects as the Civil Rights movement in America (1964-65), the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
in 1973, and the New York City police department (1972-79). His career blossomed during the American civil rights movement, when he traveled the country with Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
in his celebrated march across the US from Alabama to Washington. This journey gave him the opportunity to produce his 1968 book, Black in White America, which brought considerable attention. His work on New York City law enforcement also led to a book, Police Work which was published in 1980.
Early in Freed's career, Edward Steichen
Edward Steichen
Edward J. Steichen was an American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator. He was the most frequently featured photographer in Alfred Stieglitz' groundbreaking magazine Camera Work during its run from 1903 to 1917. Steichen also contributed the logo design and a custom typeface...
purchased three photographs from Freed for the collection of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
. In 1967, Cornell Capa
Cornell Capa
Cornell Capa was a Hungarian American photographer, member of Magnum Photos, and photo curator, and the younger brother of photo-journalist and war photographer Robert Capa. Graduating from Imre Madách Gymnasium in Budapest, he initially intended to study medicine, but instead joined his brother...
selected Freed as one of five photographers to participate in his "Concerned Photography" exhibition. Freed joined Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
in 1972. Publications to which Freed contributed over the years included Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
, Die Zeit
Die Zeit
Die Zeit is a German nationwide weekly newspaper that is highly respected for its quality journalism.With a circulation of 488,036 and an estimated readership of slightly above 2 million, it is the most widely read German weekly newspaper...
, Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
, Libération
Libération
Libération is a French daily newspaper founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Originally a leftist newspaper, it has undergone a number of shifts during the 1980s and 1990s...
, Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, Look
Look (American magazine)
Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971, with more of an emphasis on photographs than articles...
, Paris-Match, Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
, and The Sunday Times Magazine of London.
In later years, Freed continued shooting photographs in Italy, Turkey, Germany, Lebanon and the U.S. He also shot four films for Japanese, Dutch and Belgian television.
Personal Life
In 1956 he met Brigitte Klück, who became his wife, while on assignment for Look in Rome. They had a daughter, Elke Susannah. Freed died in upstate New York after a battle with prostate cancerProstate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
on November 29, 2006.
Publications
- Amsterdam: The Sixties, USA: Focus Publishing, 1997. Netherlands: Uitgeverij Focus, 1997. ISBN 978-9072216502
- Another Life, Netherlands: ABP Public Affairs, 2004.
- Berlin, New York: Time-Life Books, 1977.
- Black in White America, United States: Grossman Publishers, 1967. California: Getty Museum, 2010; ISBN 978-1606060117
- Deutsche Juden Heute, Germany: Rütten & Loening Verlag, 1965.
- Indonesiers in Holland, Netherlands: d'Jonge hond, 2009.
- Joden van Amsterdam, Netherlands: De Bezige BijDe Bezige BijDe Bezige Bij is one of the most important literary publishing companies in the Netherlands.-History:The company was founded illegally in 1943, during the German occupation of the Netherlands by Geert Lubberhuizen; its fist publication was a poem by Jan Campert called De Achttien Dooden , which...
, 1958. - La Danse des Fidèles, France: Editions du Chêne, 1984.
- Leonard Freed: Photographs 1954-1990, UK:Cornerhouse/Editions Nathan, 1991. New York: W. W. Norton, 1992. ISBN 978-0393033502
- Leonard Freed: Worldview with William Ewing, Wim van Sinderen, Nathalie Herschdorfer. Lausanne: Steidl/Muse de L'Elyse, 2007. ISBN 978-3865214638
- Leonard Freed’s Germany, London: Thames & Hudson, 1971. ISBN 978-0500540046
- Made in Germany, USA: Grossman Publishers, 1970. Penguin, 1971. ISBN 978-0670445646
- New York Police France: (Photo Notes), Centre National de la Photographie, 1990. ISBN 978-2867540646
- Police Work, USA: Simon & Schuster, 1980; ISBN 978-0670445639. Holiday House, 1981; ISBN 978-0671252021
- Seltsame Spiele, Germany: Verlag Bärmeier & Nikel, 1970.