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Annapolis
Portraits by Henri Cartier-Bresson and other Acclaimed Photographers at St. John’s Mitchell Gallery
FOR RELEASE: October 5, 2009
CONTACT: Patricia Dempsey, 410-626-2539
Patricia.Dempsey@sjca.edu
EDITORS NOTE: The Interpretive Reading, Opening Reception and Family Program is on Nov. 1 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. (not 8 p.m.)
Robert Infarinato began collecting photographic portraits in 1984. His personal collection now consists of some 200 portraits and includes many of well-known artists, such as Duke Ellington, Pablo Picasso, Carl Sandburg, Georgia O’Keefe, and Alberto Giacometti. “The Camera’s Muse: Photographic Portraits from the Collection of Robert M. Infarinato” includes 40 black-and-white portraits from Infarinato’s collection. Many are by acclaimed photographers, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Arnold Newman, Ansel Adams, Alfred Eisenstaedt, and Ruth Bernhard. The exhibit will be on view at the Mitchell Gallery November 1 to December 17. The Interpretative Reading, Opening Reception and Family Program, held on November 1, begins at 2:30 p.m. with an exhibit-related presentation by Annapolis actor, writer, and musician, Tim King and musician John Starr. From 3:30 to 5 p.m. art educator Lucinda Edinberg and collector Robert Infarinato will co-lead a tour of the exhibit, which will be followed by a hands-on workshop.
Infarinato’s collection includes portraits that capture well-known artists often in private moments. For instance, Infarinato describes one of his numerous jazz portraits: “Duke Ellington is seated on a piano bench in his dressing room, looking away from the piano and music. There’s a closet full of suits, his desk is covered with his personal effects, a tie hanging down a lamp, and things are all over the place. This is his space. He is taking a moment to smile for someone who is in his dressing room. He’s all about the music. He was a last-minute guy. He’d take a piece of new music on to the stage and say, ‘OK let’s play it.’ This image evokes him and his world.”
Another photo, of Alberto Giacometti taken by his good friend Henri Cartier-Bresson, shows a gallery space. “There are two statues of human figures: the one on the left is bent. The one on the right in the back is totally erect. Giacometti is walking between them, carrying another statue. He is bent over, with a cigarette in his mouth, in a similar stance to the statue on the left. This is a man in his milieu. He is not working on a sculpture. He is a sculpture.”
When describing his collection Infarinato says, “These are ‘situational photos.’ While I do not strictly collect these, if I can, it is always great. I look for something that reflects some aspect of the person, more than a headshot. I look for context. It doesn’t matter if the person is famous or not famous. The person in the photo may be unknown –and the photographer may be a great. Or perhaps the image itself is well known and the subject is not recognized, and may never be seen again. In the fabric of life the subject wouldn’t stand out, but as a portrait it does.”
Exhibited Related Events for “The Camera’s Muse”
November 1 Interpretive Reading, Opening Reception and Family Program. Part I: Annapolis actor, writer, and musician Tim King, and musician John Starr will give an exhibit-related presentation at 2:30 p.m. Part II: Art educator Lucinda Edinberg will introduce collector Robert Infarinato and co-lead a tour of “The Camera’s Muse” followed by a hands-on workshop from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
November 12 Book Club. Join Mitchell Gallery Book Club members for a tour of “The Camera’s Muse” followed by a discussion of “The Elegance of the Hedgehog,” by Muriel Barbery, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. For information, contact Kathy Dulisse at 410-626-2530 or kathy.dulisse@sjca.edu.
November 18 Art Express. Art Educator Lucinda Edinberg will give a lunchtime gallery talk on “The Camera’s Muse” from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Juice and sodas will be provided.
December 2 Gallery Talk. Collector Robert Infarinato will give a tour at 7 p.m. of the photographs in his collection that are on view in “The Camera’s Muse.”
Unless otherwise noted all exhibits and events take place in the Mitchell Gallery. For more information, hours, docent tours, and event registration, contact the Mitchell Gallery at 410-626-2556. Thanks to the support of Mitchell Gallery members, these exhibitions and programs are free and open to the public.