Join us for a conversation with legendary fine art photographer Ralph Gibson.
Gibson will discuss a selection of his pictures that speak to breakthrough moments in his career with former Editor-in-Chief of LIFE magazine Bill Shapiro. Covering a wide range of topics the program will look back on his progression in the medium and the people, places and moments that have had an impact on his career.
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SPEAKER BIOS:
Ralph Gibson (b.1939) studied photography in the US Navy and further pursued the medium at the San Francisco Art Institute in the early 1960’s. Gibson went on to assist Dorothea Lange and later, Robert Frank on two of his films, launching his professional career. Having a strong interest in books and book-making, he founded his own publishing company, Lustrum Press out of New York and went on to create his trilogy, The Somnambulist, Deja Vu, and Days at Sea which were instant hits and helped solidify his mark as a key player in 20th century photography.
Gibson’s photographs are in many important museum collections and have been shown in hundreds of exhibitions across the globe. His awards include a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, Leica Medal of Excellence, Lucie Lifetime Award among many others, and in 2018 he was appointed Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur de France.
Bill Shapiro served as the Editor-in-Chief of LIFE, the legendary photo magazine; LIFE’s relaunch in 2004 was the largest in Time Inc. history. Later, he was the founding Editor-in-Chief of LIFE.com, which won the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital photography. Bill is the author of several books, among them Gus & Me, a children’s book he co-wrote with Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. In 2018, he published What We Keep, which was recently turned into a streaming series with Cynthia Erivo serving as executive producer. A fine-art photography curator for New York galleries and a consultant to photographers, he also serves on the Art Advisory Board for the SXSW festival. He writes about photography for the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, Vogue, and Esquire, among others. On Instagram, he’s @billshapiro.
