R.I.P. Lillian Bassman

[billbretz]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/ar...at-94.html?hpw

"Lillian Bassman, a magazine art director and fashion photographer who achieved renown in the 1940s and ’50s with high-contrast, dreamy portraits of sylphlike models, then re-emerged in the ’90s as a fine-art photographer after a cache of lost negatives resurfaced, died on Monday at her home in Manhattan. She was 94."

[CGW]

Beautiful work and an interesting life.

[gandolfi]

Love her images!

my condolances

[Jeff Kubach]

Excellant work! RIP Lillian.

Jeff

[Thomas Bertilsson]

What a sad day. I have loved her work since I discovered it about five years ago.

Rest in Peace. You will not be forgotten.

[ChristopherCoy]

It was not until the early 1990s that Martin Harrison, a fashion curator and historian who was staying at her house, found the long-forgotten negatives. He encouraged her to revisit them.

Ms. Bassman took a fresh look at the earlier work. She began reprinting the negatives, applying some of the bleaching techniques and other toning agents with which she had first experimented in the 1940s, creating more abstract, mysterious prints.

W.O.W.!!!! All those years later, her work withstood the test of time and rekindled her career! Simply AH-MAZING!!!

[benjiboy]

I'm very sad at this news indeed I've admired Ms Bassman's work since I was a teenager in the 1950's and am surprised that so few photographers days have ever heard of her, she was a great influence as a teacher and mentor on Richard Avedon when he worked under her at Harpers Bazaar, and I can see a great deal of her influence in David Baileys work too and many other fashion photographers these days.
Rest in Peace Lillian, I wish I had known you, you were one of the greats.

[Newt_on_Swings]

Sad sad news. I loved her body work. So ethereal, moving, and unique. I decided to order a copy of her book Lillian Bassman: Women, tonight. Looking forward to revisiting her body of work when I get it, and will introduce her when I go over portrait photography to students.

[tony lockerbie]

I wasn't familiar with her work, must look it up....but looks great from the link. I must say that a lot of these photographers seem to live a long life, something in the fixer?