Burt Glinn
Encyclopedia
Burton Samuel Glinn was an American professional photographer who worked with Magnum Photos
. He covered revolutionary leader Fidel Castro
's entrance into Havana, Cuba, and photographed people such as Andy Warhol
and Helen Frankenthaler
. Glinn's photos show such things as the social scene of the rich, the dirtyness of politics, and the humorous flotilla that called itself the Seattle Tubing Society.
, where he edited and photographed for the college newspaper Harvard Crimson
. He served in the US Army and worked for Life
magazine from 1949 to 1950. Glinn became an associate member of Magnum Photos
in 1951 along with Eve Arnold
and Dennis Stock
- the first Americans to join the agency - and became a full member in 1954.
, Russia
, Mexico
, and California
. At a New Year's party in 1958, Glinn was notified that Fidel Castro had taken over Cuba. By dawn the next day he was covering the revolution in Cuba, making photographs "as everybody got whatever weapon they could get their hands on," he once said. In 1959 the photographer received the Mathew Brady Award for Magazine Photographer of the Year, offered by the University of Missouri
for a photo essay on the South Seas.
He was president of Magnum from 1972 to 1975 (then re-elected to the position in 1987) and also served as president of the American Society of Media Photographers. He covered the Sinai War as well as the US Marine invasion of Lebanon and also completed a photo essay project on medical science. His images have been published in Esquire
, Fortune
, Geo
, Life
, Travel and Leisure, and Paris-Match.
When asked in an interview which of his images he most closely identifies with, Glinn replied that without a doubt it is the picture showing the back of Nikita Khrushchev
's head in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
, aged 82. The stated cause of death was kidney failure and pneumonia
. He is survived his wife, Elena Prohaska, his son, Sam, of Manhattan, and his sister, Norma Madden of Pittsburgh. A tribute to Glinn was set up at the SAM Gallery in Seattle, Washington, where Glinn worked and lived during the 1950s and 1960s.
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
. He covered revolutionary leader Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
's entrance into Havana, Cuba, and photographed people such as Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
and Helen Frankenthaler
Helen Frankenthaler
Helen Frankenthaler is an American abstract expressionist painter. She is a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work in six decades she has spanned several generations of abstract painters while continuing to produce vital and ever-changing new work...
. Glinn's photos show such things as the social scene of the rich, the dirtyness of politics, and the humorous flotilla that called itself the Seattle Tubing Society.
Early life
Glinn, a Pittsburgh native, studied literature at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he edited and photographed for the college newspaper Harvard Crimson
Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson are the athletic teams of Harvard University. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2006, there were 41 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country...
. He served in the US Army and worked for Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine from 1949 to 1950. Glinn became an associate member of Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
in 1951 along with Eve Arnold
Eve Arnold
Eve Arnold, FRPS is an American photojournalist. She joined Magnum Photos agency in 1951, and became a full member in 1957....
and Dennis Stock
Dennis Stock
Dennis Stock was an American photojournalist and documentary photographer and a member of Magnum Photos. He was born in New York City and died in Sarasota, Florida.-Career:...
- the first Americans to join the agency - and became a full member in 1954.
Career
Glinn became famous for his color pictures of the South Seas, JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. At a New Year's party in 1958, Glinn was notified that Fidel Castro had taken over Cuba. By dawn the next day he was covering the revolution in Cuba, making photographs "as everybody got whatever weapon they could get their hands on," he once said. In 1959 the photographer received the Mathew Brady Award for Magazine Photographer of the Year, offered by the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
for a photo essay on the South Seas.
He was president of Magnum from 1972 to 1975 (then re-elected to the position in 1987) and also served as president of the American Society of Media Photographers. He covered the Sinai War as well as the US Marine invasion of Lebanon and also completed a photo essay project on medical science. His images have been published in Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
, Geo
GEO (magazine)
GEO is a family of educational monthly magazines similar to the National Geographic magazine. It is known for its profound reports, which are accompanied by opulent pictures.The first edition appeared in Germany in 1976...
, Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, Travel and Leisure, and Paris-Match.
When asked in an interview which of his images he most closely identifies with, Glinn replied that without a doubt it is the picture showing the back of Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
's head in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
Death
Burt Glinn died on April 9, 2008 in Southampton, New YorkSouthampton (village), New York
Southampton is a village in Suffolk County, New York, USA. The village is named after the Earl of Southampton. The Village of Southampton is in the southeast part of the county in the Town of Southampton...
, aged 82. The stated cause of death was kidney failure and pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. He is survived his wife, Elena Prohaska, his son, Sam, of Manhattan, and his sister, Norma Madden of Pittsburgh. A tribute to Glinn was set up at the SAM Gallery in Seattle, Washington, where Glinn worked and lived during the 1950s and 1960s.
Awards
- Dana Reed Award, Harvard College
- Mathew Brady Award for Magazine Photographer of the Year, University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
- Best Book of Photographic Reporting from Abroad, Overseas Press ClubOverseas Press ClubThe Overseas Press Club of America was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member...
- Best Print Ad of the Year, Art Director's Club of New York
- Best Annual Report of the Year from Financial World, Warner Communications Annual Report
Exhibitions
- 2005 Havana: The Revolutionary Moment - George Eastman HouseGeorge Eastman HouseThe George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
, RochesterRochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, New York, US - 2002 Havana: The Revolutionary Moment - Photographs by Burt Glinn - Americas SocietyAmericas SocietyThe Americas Society is an organization dedicated to education, debate, and dialogue in the Americas; established in 1965 by David Rockefeller. The Americas Society promotes the understanding of the economic, political, and cultural issues that define and challenge the Americas today, including...
, New York, US - 2000 Reflections: Photos of Water - Sag Harbor Picture Gallery, Sag Harbor, New York, US
- 1999 Fifty Years Behind a Camera: The Photography of Burt Glinn - Sag Harbor Picture Gallery, Sag Harbor, New York, US
Books
- 1955 The Dark Eye in Africa (with Laurens van der Post), William Morrow, US; Hogarth Press, UK
- 1967 A Portrait of All the Russias (with Laurens van der Post), William Morrow, US; Hogarth Press, UK, ISBN 978-0-7012-0243-9
- 1968 A Portrait of Japan, (with Laurens van der Post), William Morrow, US, ASIN B000OLIBFQ
- 2001/02 Havana: The Revolutionary Moment, Umbrage Editions, US/Dewi Lewis, UK, ISBN 978-1-884167-09-6