Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz was an American photographer, art critic, and gallery owner active from the late 19th century to the early 20th century . He advocated that photography should be an artistic expression on the same level as painting and sculpture, and worked hard to popularize and develop it. His works are known as straight photography, a method of capturing reality as it is, and they poetically depict cityscapes, nature, portraits, and more.

Alfred Stieglitz Biography

• Born January 1, 1864 in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA.
• He began taking up photography while studying engineering in Germany in the 1880s.
• In the 1890s, he returned to New York and began working as a photographer.
• In 1902, he founded the Photo Secession and contributed to the development of the art of photography.
• In 1905, the 291 Gallery was opened to showcase European avant-garde art.
• After the closure of the 291 Gallery in 1917 , he devoted himself to his own work.
• From the 1930s onwards, he also ventured into abstract photography
• Died on July 13, 1946 in New York, USA (aged 82)

Representative works

• The Steerage (1907)
• "Equivalents" series (1920s-1930s)
• Georgia O'Keeffe portrait series

Stieglitz's style and achievements

Stieglitz's work is a method of capturing reality as it is known as straight photography, and he portrays cityscapes, nature, portraits, etc. with a rich poetic quality. He also contributed to the improvement of photography techniques, making it possible to achieve sharp depictions and rich gradation.

Stieglitz founded the Photo-Secession and asserted that photography was an equal artistic expression to painting and sculpture. He introduced not only photography but also European avant-garde art such as Picasso and Matisse at his own gallery, 291 Gallery , and had a major impact on the American art world.

Stieglitz not only contributed to the establishment of photography as an art, but also supported many artists, including his wife Georgia O'Keeffe, and worked hard to develop their talents. His achievements are highly regarded as one of the leading photographers, art critics, and patrons in the 20th century American art world.