Paul Himmel
Encyclopedia
Paul Himmel was a fashion and documentary photographer in the United States.
Himmel was the son of immigrant Bohemian
intellectuals. He took up photography as a teenager and studied graphic journalism under art director Alexey Brodovitch
. From 1947 to 1969, he worked as a professional photographer for Vogue
and Harper's Bazaar
, and several of his photographs were included in Edward Steichen
's "Family of Man" exhibition.
In the 1950s, Himmel started his own projects, including series on boxers, the circus and ballet. He experimented with grain structure in his negatives and prints, using a series of silhouetted and elongated forms abbreviated almost to the point of abstraction.
Himmel took his last photograph in 1967, and by 1969, he became disenchanted with photography and retrained as a psychotherapist. An exhibit of his photographs in New York City in 1996 brought him back to public attention. Himmel's photographs are fresh and unusual. Many are high-contrast, emphasizing the design and patterns contained in an image; his subjects range from New York City scenes to nudes reduced to grainy vestiges to color abstractions.
Many of Himmel's photos are high-contrast, emphasizing the design and patterns contained in the image.
Himmel and Lillian Bassman
, herself a well-known fashion photographer, married in 1935 and had been married over 73 years when Himmel died in 2009.
Himmel was the son of immigrant Bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
intellectuals. He took up photography as a teenager and studied graphic journalism under art director 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 :...
. From 1947 to 1969, he worked as a professional photographer for Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
and 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.”...
, and several of his photographs were included in 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...
's "Family of Man" exhibition.
In the 1950s, Himmel started his own projects, including series on boxers, the circus and ballet. He experimented with grain structure in his negatives and prints, using a series of silhouetted and elongated forms abbreviated almost to the point of abstraction.
Himmel took his last photograph in 1967, and by 1969, he became disenchanted with photography and retrained as a psychotherapist. An exhibit of his photographs in New York City in 1996 brought him back to public attention. Himmel's photographs are fresh and unusual. Many are high-contrast, emphasizing the design and patterns contained in an image; his subjects range from New York City scenes to nudes reduced to grainy vestiges to color abstractions.
Many of Himmel's photos are high-contrast, emphasizing the design and patterns contained in the image.
Himmel and Lillian Bassman
Lillian Bassman
- Life :Her parents were Jewish intellectuals who emigrated from Russia to the United States in 1905 and settled in Brooklyn, New York. She studied at the Textile High School, with Alexey Brodovitch, in Manhattan and graduated in 1933...
, herself a well-known fashion photographer, married in 1935 and had been married over 73 years when Himmel died in 2009.