Michael Kenna (photographer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Kenna is an English
photographer best known for his black & white landscapes.
Kenna attended Upholland College
in Lancashire
, the Banbury School of Art in Oxfordshire
, and the London College of Printing. In the 1980s, Kenna moved to San Francisco and worked as Ruth Bernhard
's printer.
Kenna's photography focuses on unusual landscapes with ethereal light achieved by photographing at dawn or at night with exposures of up to 10 hours. Since about 1986 he has mainly used Hasselblad medium format and Holga cameras and this accounts for the square format of most of his photographs. The main exception was for the photographs in Monique's Kindergarten for which a 4 x 5 large format camera was employed.
His work has been shown in galleries and museum exhibitions in Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States. He also has photographs included in the collections of the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, D.C.
, the Patrimoine photographique in Paris
, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
, and the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London
. His photography of the ruins of concentration camps was featured in the opening credits of the Holocaust film Esther's Diary
(2010).
In 2000, the Ministry of Culture in France made Kenna a Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters.
In 2006, Kenna wrote the preface to Humans, a photo-series by Iranian photographer Mohammadreza Mirzaei
.
In 2011, Kenna wrote the preface to The Art of Adventure, a photographic monograph by Scottish photographer Bruce Percy
.
Interview:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
photographer best known for his black & white landscapes.
Kenna attended Upholland College
St Joseph's College, Upholland
St Joseph's College, Upholland is a Former Roman Catholic seminary, situated at Walthew Park, Upholland, Lancashire, England. The foundation of the large building was laid in April 1880 and college was opened in 1883...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, the Banbury School of Art in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, and the London College of Printing. In the 1980s, Kenna moved to San Francisco and worked as Ruth Bernhard
Ruth Bernhard
Ruth Bernhard was an American photographer.-Early life:Bernhard was born in Berlin and studied at the Berlin Academy of Art from 1925–27. Bernhard's father, Lucian Bernhard, was known for his poster and typeface design.-Photography career:In 1927 Bernhard moved to New York City, where her...
's printer.
Kenna's photography focuses on unusual landscapes with ethereal light achieved by photographing at dawn or at night with exposures of up to 10 hours. Since about 1986 he has mainly used Hasselblad medium format and Holga cameras and this accounts for the square format of most of his photographs. The main exception was for the photographs in Monique's Kindergarten for which a 4 x 5 large format camera was employed.
His work has been shown in galleries and museum exhibitions in Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States. He also has photographs included in the collections of the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the Patrimoine photographique in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, and the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His photography of the ruins of concentration camps was featured in the opening credits of the Holocaust film Esther's Diary
Esther's Diary (film)
Forgiveness is a 2008 American dramatic Holocaust film written and directed by Polish-American director Mariusz Kotowski, with a screenplay by Allan Knee...
(2010).
In 2000, the Ministry of Culture in France made Kenna a Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters.
In 2006, Kenna wrote the preface to Humans, a photo-series by Iranian photographer Mohammadreza Mirzaei
Mohammadreza Mirzaei
Mohammadreza Mirzaei is an Iranian photographer, known for his minimalist photographs.He attended IRIB Art School, in Tehran to study graphic design, when he was 15, but he quickly discovered photography and focused his artworks on this medium....
.
In 2011, Kenna wrote the preface to The Art of Adventure, a photographic monograph by Scottish photographer Bruce Percy
Bruce Percy (photographer)
Bruce Percy is a British landscape and travel photographer.Percy works with medium format film cameras. His images of remote landscapes have been featured in photography magazines, including Amateur Photographer and Outdoor Photography. He teaches landscape photography in Scotland...
.
Photo books
- Mont-Saint-Michel (21st Editions, 2007)
- Mont St Michel (Nazraeli Press, 2007)
- Montecito Garden (Nazraeli Press, 2007)
- Hokkaido (Nazraeli Press, 2005)
- Retrospective Two (Nazraeli Press and Treville Editions, 2004)
- Boarding School (Nazraeli Press, 2003)
- Calais Lace (Nazraeli Press, 2003)
- Japan (Nazraeli Press and Treville Editions, 2002)
- Easter Island (Nazraeli Press, 2001)
- Impossible to Forget: The Nazi Camps Fifty Years After (Marval and Nazraeli Press, 2001)
- Night Work (Nazraeli Press, 2000)
- Le Notre’s Gardens (The Huntington Library, Art Collections Library and RAM Publishing, 1997 and 1999)
- Monique's Kindergarten (Nazraeli Press, 1997)
- The Silverado Squatters (The Arion Press, 1996)
- The Rouge (Ram, 1995)
- A Twenty Year Retrospective (Editions Treville, 1994, Nazraeli Press, 2002)
- The Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing (The Elkhorn Slough Foundation, 1991)
- Le Desert de Retz (Arion Press, 1990)
- Michael Kenna (Min Gallery, 1990)
- Night Walk (Friends of Photography, 1987)
- 1976-1986 (Gallery MIN, 1987)
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (The Arion Press, 1985 and Northpoint Press, 1986)
- Michael Kenna Photographs (Stephen Wirtz Gallery and The Weston Gallery, 1984)
Awards
- Honorary Master of Arts (Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, California, USA, 2003)
- Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters (Ministry of Culture, France, 2000)
- Golden Saffron Award, (Consuegra, Spain, 1996)
- Institute for Aesthetic Development Award (Pasadena, California, USA, 1989)
- Art in Public Buildings Award (California Arts Council Commission, Sacramento, California, USA, 1987)
- Imogen Cunningham Award (San Francisco, California, USA, 1981)
External links
Interview:
- Interview with Michael Kenna by Tim Baskerville
- About Monique’s Kindergarten by John Paul Caponigro