Robert Polidori
Encyclopedia
Robert Polidori is a photographer known for his architectural studies and frequent contributions to magazines and books.
at the Anthology Film Archives
, producing a number of avant-garde
films in the early 1970s. In 1980 he received an M.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and subsequently turned his attention to still photography. He has been living in Paris
and New York City
since 1987. He is listed as a staff photographer with The New Yorker
magazine and makes frequent contributions to other magazines such as Vanity Fair
. In 2009 Polidori became an American citizen.
. The high level of detail allows the viewer to question things more and more as well as still be touched by the mood of the works. Due to the nature of the modern camera lens, the analytical sense of his images comes from the pre-Renaissance and Renaissance perspectives.
. A photograph of a dead victim in his own bed is strongly criticized by New Orleans photographer William Greiner
. And further controversy arose in both the New Orleans press as well as a number of photo commentary blogs, when a number of his photographs of Katrina devastation were used commercially in an antismoking campaign in Brazil.
Award for Magazine Photography (1999 and 2002), and won the
World Press Award for his coverage of the Getty Museum's construction in 1998.
in Berlin, Flowers-East in London, several in Paris, and many others.
Biography
Robert Polidori was born in 1951 in Montreal, Canada, to a French Canadian mother and a Corsican father. He moved to the United States when he was ten and arrived in New York in 1969, where he got a job as an assistant to a filmmaker Jonas MekasJonas Mekas
Jonas Mekas is a Lithuanian-born American filmmaker, writer, and curator who has often been called "the godfather of American avant-garde cinema." His work has been exhibited in museums and festivals across Europe and America.-Biography:...
at the Anthology Film Archives
Anthology Film Archives
__notoc__Anthology Film Archives is a film archive and theater located at 32 Second Avenue on the corner of East Second Street in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City devoted to the preservation and exhibition of experimental film. It is the only non-profit organization of its...
, producing a number of avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
films in the early 1970s. In 1980 he received an M.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and subsequently turned his attention to still photography. He has been living in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
since 1987. He is listed as a staff photographer with The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine and makes frequent contributions to other magazines such as Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
. In 2009 Polidori became an American citizen.
Equipment
For aerial photographs, Polidori uses a large format custom-designed Kipp Wettstein camera to record his photographs.Works
Polidori's works have been seen in many mediums, from the New Yorker to the Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
. The high level of detail allows the viewer to question things more and more as well as still be touched by the mood of the works. Due to the nature of the modern camera lens, the analytical sense of his images comes from the pre-Renaissance and Renaissance perspectives.
Controversy
While much of Polidori's work is seen as straightforward architectural and urban photography, some of it has aroused controversy in blogs, especially his photographs taken in the aftermath of Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. A photograph of a dead victim in his own bed is strongly criticized by New Orleans photographer William Greiner
William Greiner
William Greiner in New Orleans, LA is an Americanphotographer, now living in Baton Rouge, LA.- Career :Greiner began his career as a sports photographer, first working in the National Football League , at the age of 18, from 1977-1979...
. And further controversy arose in both the New Orleans press as well as a number of photo commentary blogs, when a number of his photographs of Katrina devastation were used commercially in an antismoking campaign in Brazil.
Awards
Polidori has twice been awarded the Alfred EisenstaedtAlfred Eisenstaedt
Alfred Eisenstaedt was a German-American photographer and photojournalist. He is renowned for his candid photographs, frequently made using various models of a 35mm Leica rangefinder camera...
Award for Magazine Photography (1999 and 2002), and won the
World Press Award for his coverage of the Getty Museum's construction in 1998.
Books
- Points Between... Up Till Now (2010) 192pp
- Parcours Muséologique Revisité (2009) 744pp
- After the Flood (2006) 333pp
- Fotografie: Portfolio (2006)
- Metropolis (2005) 128pp
- Zones of Exclusion: Pripyat and Chernobyl (2003) 112pp
- Havana (2001) 160pp
- Palm Springs Weekend: The Architecture and Design of a Midcentury Oasis (2001)
- The Levant: History and Archaeology in the Eastern Mediterranean by Pierre-Louis Gatier, Robert-Louis Gatier, Eric Gubel, and Philippe Marquis (2000)
- Libya: The Lost Cities of the Roman Empire by Antonio Di Vita, Ginette Divita-Evrard, Lidiano Bacchielli, and Robert Polidori (1999)
- Chateaux of the Loire Valley by Jean-Marie Perouse De Montclos and Robert Polidori (1997)
- Sites Greco-Romaines de la Triploitane et Cyrenaique (1997)
- Versailles by Robert Polidori and Jean-Marie Pérouse de Montclos (1991)
Solo public exhibitions
Polidori's photographs have been shown in a number of galleries, including the Edwynn Houk, Pace/McGill and Robert Miller Galleries in New York City, Martin Gropius BauMartin Gropius Bau
Martin-Gropius-Bau, originally a museum of applied arts and a listed historical monument since 1966, is a well-known Berlin exhibition hall located at Niederkirchnerstraße 7 in Berlin-Kreuzberg.- History and architecture :...
in Berlin, Flowers-East in London, several in Paris, and many others.
External links
- Gallery Web Site
- Polidori at Houk Gallery
- Interview with Polidori in BOMB Magazine
- Robert Polidori: Points Between - slideshow by Life magazine