My journey ends here...
HALSMAN Philippe
Date of birth : May 2, 1906, Riga,
Latvia.
Date of death : June 25, 1979, New York.
Profession photographer.
He belongs to the most original portrait photographer and most inventive of the 20th century.
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His parents were Morduch "Max" Halsman (August 27, 1880-September 10,1928, Austria), dentist, and Ita Grintuch (1880-October 7, 1964, New York), principal. He also had a sister Liouba (January 14, 1909, Latvia-October 14, 1978, Virginia).
In 1921, he discovered his father's old view camera and began photographing family and friends.
In 1924, he graduated the Riga Vacu Vidus Skola. First in his class, he studied Latin, French, German and Russian.
He studied electrotechnics at the Technische Hochschule in Dresde, before turning towards photography.
In September 1928 he traveled with his family to the Austrian Tyrol, near Innsbruk. The tourist spot had become a center of the Fascist movement.
On September 28, 1928, while hiking with his father, Philippe Halsman was walking ahead, when he heard a cry and saw his father scrambled down the precipice. By the time Philippe found a path to reach his father, this one had been robbed and killed. His empty wallet was found alongside the body.
A series of unsolved crimes in the area and its growing anti-semitism empowered local officials, who, without evidence or motive, arrested Philippe Halsman and charged him with his father's death. The next day the body was recovered and autopsied. Soon after, Philippe Halsman was brought to Innsbruck to stand trial.
He served 2 years in jail. His sister Liouba tried to draw international attention to his case. Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, Sigmund Freud and many other important intellectuals and scientists endorsed his innocence.
In the Automn 1930, Liouba brokered an agreement between Paul Painleve, the Prime Minister of France, and Johann Schober, the Chancellor of Austria, and finally won Philippe's release. After a long convalescence from the tuberculosis he had contracted in prison, he rejoined his mother, his sister and her new husband, Rene Golschmann, in Paris.
He continued his studies at the University of Paris (Faculte des Sciences).
In the 30's and 40's, he lived and worked in Paris as a photographer. His work appeared in Vogue, Vu and Voila magazines, end he opened a portrait studio and darkroom at 22 Rue Delambre in Montparnasse.
He made portraits of André Malraux (
), Paul Valery (
), Jean
Painlevé (
), Marc
Chagall (
), André Gide (
,
), Jean Giraudoux et Le Corbusier (
).
In 1934, Maria Eisner, founder of Alliance Photo (who later helped organize Magnum Photos), introduced him to 22 year-old Yvonne Moser, a young photographer who worked with her as her apprentice.
In 1936 his first major exhibit took place at the Galerie de la Pleiade in Paris.
His work was also presented in an exhibit entitled "Photographie Contemporaine" at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.
In 1937 he married Yvonne Moser (October 11, 1912, Paris-September 26, 2006, New York), now an established children's photographer, and they moved at 350 rue St Honoré.
On January 13, 1939 birth of his first daughter Irene, in Paris.He collaborated with Jean Painleve on the play "Le Jeu du Surhomme".
In November 10, 1940, having a Latvian passport, he finally obtained an emergency visa to the USA through the intervention of Albert Einstein. With Yvonne, Irene, his mother Ita, his sister Loubia and her two daughters, emigrated to the USA juste before the fall of France. They arrived in New York City on a refugee ship from Lisbon, with the help of the Emergency Rescue Committee. He carried with him one suitcase with his camera and a dozen prints.
Birth of his second daughter, Jane Ellen (December 23, 1940, New York-December 22, 2002).He met Salvador Dali and began a 37 year collaboration.
In 1941-1942, he accepted fashion and magazine assignments from Black Star agency in New York.
He made the "Victory Red" campaign for Elizabeth Arden (
On October 5, 1942 he made is first Life magazine cover (
). Yvonne became his photogtaphic and darkroom assistant.
They moved to an artists' studio building on West 67the Street in Manhattan where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. Liouba became the studio's full-time office-manager until 1973, when she retired with Rene to the Virginia countryside.
In 1944 he traveled to California and photographed his first Hollywood assignments for Life, including Humphrey
Bogart (
), Lauren Bacall (
,
), Frank Sinatra (
,
), Ingrid
Bergman (
), Bette Davis (
,
),
Judy Garland (
).
He produced 7 Life covers this year, including a major story on American fashion designers.
In 1945 he was elected President of the American Society of Magazine Photographers
(ASMP).
Azzielean
Roberts, a young woman from Texas, joined the studio as housekeeper ans permanent Girl Friday.
In 1946, he made an extensive photographic coverage of Martha Graham (
,
) and her dance company in performance.In 1947,
he photographed Albert Einstein (
) in
Princeton. He designed an improved version of his twin-lens reflex
camera in 4x5 format. Three prototypes, known as the Halsman-Fairchild,
were manufactured. Philippe Halsman continued to use this camera for
portraits throughout his career.
"Medea", directed by John Gielgud, was one of the first of 37 Broadway plays and musicals he was assigned to photograph for Life over the next 22 years.
In 1948, he became a U.S citizen.
He made the "Dali Atomicus" photo (
). He traveled throughout the Southwest on multiple assignlents.
He photographed Georgia O'Keeffe in
Abiquiu, New Mexico (
).
). The book was a best-seller.He attended Albert Einstein's 70th birthday celebration; he photographed Einstein with refugee children
(
).1950, his mother Ita, who lived nearby with Liouba and her family, died.
Family picture 
).He returned to Europe for the first time. He photographed Marc Chagall (
),
Winston Churchill(
), Henri Matisse (
), Jean-Paul Sartre (
), Brigitte Bardot (
),
AnnaMagnani (
) among others.David Seymour ("Chim"), one of the founders of Magnum, asked him to become a contributing member of the legendary photo agency. Halsman agreed to let Magnum distribute his work in Europe.
In 1953 he published "Piccoli, a Fairy Tale" (
), written for his daughters. Life ran an excerpt in itsDecember 7, 1953 issue (
).Winston Churchill's portrait appeared on the Life cover (
) as well as on the jacket of Churchill's war memories.
), 30 surreal images of his artist friend.In 1955, 75th cover of Life with Audrey Hepburn (
).
January 1956 along with Yvonne he attended the engagement party of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of
Monaco, at the Waldorf Astoria 
Life sent him around the world to select and photograph the most beautiful women in 17 countries.
In 1958 he was chosen one of the "World's Ten Great Photographers" in an international poll conducted by Popular Photography magazine.
In 1958-1959, he photographed leading writers, philosophers and scientists who contributed articles for the long-running series "Adventures of the Mind" for the Saturday Evening Post.
In 1959 publication of "Philippe Halsman's Jump Book" (
). More than 200 illustrious subjects jumped for him from the period 1950-1959. In a cover story, Life devoted 8 pages to the book in its November 9, 1959 issue (
). In this serie appeared this subtle and spiritual humor that would be found in his whole production.
He appeared on Edward Murrow's CBS-TV program "Person to Person". The interview took place in his
studio-apartment on West 67th Street (
).In 1960 Life sent him to Russia to photograph Russia's leading artists, writers, dancers and politicians.
He collaborated with Salvador Dali on "Chaos & Creation", the first performance art piece shot on video.
He worked during 30 years with the surrealist painter Salvador Dali on different projects in which the photographer communted the painter ideas in the language of his own medium.
Dali ,
,
)
Newhouse Citation for journalistic achievement from Syracuse University School of Journalism.
)
)
,
)
).Birth of his first grand-daughter Jennifer Sunshine Bello.
Life magazine ceased its weekly publication after 36 years.
In 1973, Tokyo exhibit "Sight and Insight" organized and traveled throughout Japan by Orion Press.
In 1974 he photographed Alfred Hitchcock in Los Angeles; cover story for special issue of French Vogue
magazine (
).
In 1975, he received the Life Achievement from the American Society of Magazine Photographers.
Birth of his grand-daughter Sophie Claire Bello.
Birth of his grand-son Oliver Halsman Rosenberg (son of Irene Halsman Rosenberg)(
,
).
In 1978, he made the last portrait of his old friend Salvador Dali.
October 14, 1978, death of his sister Liouba (
).
He died on June 25, 1979 in New York
Link with Marilyn
He made several picture sessions with Marilyn.
The first time, in 1949 for Life magazine dated October 10, 1949 (
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and an article about the novice starlets entitled "How 8 girls express
their feelings"; they were asked to express their feelings in 4
different situations :
facing a monster (
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), listening
to a good joke (
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Other 
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On April 7, 1952, Marilyn made her first cover of Life magazine.
She wore a white dress and the picture had a great sensuality.
The pictures had been made at her home, in January 1952 at the Beverly
Carlton Hotel. Philip Halsman.
Négligé 
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Interview
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Red dress 
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make-up 
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1954
Black top, red skirt
portrait
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After several attempts and many years, Halsman managed to obtain from Marilyn a project he took to heart : to take pictures of her while jumping, because he thought that this way, people express a big part of their personality.
Marilyn agreed in 1959 : she is seen jumping with squeezed arms and clenched fists.Letter to Marilyn dated October 28, 1959
She was on the cover of Life magazine on November 9, 1959
Black dress
Red dress
Other personalities 
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Bibliography
"Philip Halsman's Jump Book". New York : Simon and Schuster, 1959.
Halsman Philippe "Jump" 1986 Harry N Abrams Publishers isbn
0-8109-2338-6.
Halsman Philippe "Retrospective" 1998 Editions du Collectionneur ISBN 2-909450-48-1.
Philip Halsman at artsy.net
Wikipedia
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
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