Garry Gross (November 6, 1937 – November 30, 2010) was an American fashion photographer who went on to specialize in dog portraiture.

Career

Born in New York, Gross began his career as a commercial photographer, apprenticing with photographers

Francesco Scavullo Francesco Scavullo (January 16, 1921 – January 6, 2004) was an American fashion photographer best known for his work on the covers of ''Cosmopolitan'' and his celebrity portraits. Biography Scavullo was born January 16, 1921, on Staten Island, ...

and James Moore and studying with master photographers

Lisette Model Lisette Model (born Elise Amelie Felicie Stern; November 10, 1901 – March 30, 1983) was an Austrian-born American photographer primarily known for the frank humanism of her street photography. A prolific photographer in the 1940s and a member ...

and

Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Vogue'' and ''Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and danc ...

. His fashion and beauty photography has been featured in numerous fashion magazines over the years and his work has appeared on the covers of such magazines as GQ,

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

, and

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...

. Celebrities Gross has photographed include

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

, and

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

. Gross studied with the Animal Behavior Center of New York and became a certified dog trainer in 2002, using that training to begin working with dogs and creating Fine Art style portraits. His last project was a series of large scale portraits of senior dogs and he actively supported charities that benefited rescue dogs and senior dogs. His work has received awards from The

Art Directors Club The Art Directors Club of New York is an organization for art directors in New York City. It was founded in 1920, and has grown as an industry group, promoting art directors' work through exhibitions and awards, including the annual DESI award for ...

and

the Advertising Club of New York The Advertising Club of New York, also known as The Ad Club and originally called the Sphinx Club, is an advertising industry group promoting self-regulation, professional training and good fellowship. The Advertising Club of New York is the only ...

Brooke Shields photograph controversy

Gross was the photographer of a controversial set of nude images, two containing full-frontal nudity, taken in 1975 of a then ten-year-old

Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. She was initially a child model and gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby'' (1978). She continued to model into ...

, with the consent of her mother,

Teri Shields Theresia Anna Lilian Maria Shields ( née Schmon; August 1, 1933 – October 31, 2012) was an American actress, film producer, socialite, and model. Life and career Shields was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. She was the daughter o ...

, for the Playboy publication ''Sugar 'n' Spice.'' The images show Shields standing and sitting in a bathtub while wearing makeup and oil. In 1981, Brooke Shields attempted to prevent further use of the photographs but in 1983 a US Court ruled that a child is bound by the terms of the valid, unrestricted consents to the use of photographs executed by a guardian and that the image did not breach child pornography laws. In ruling, the presiding Judge stated: "The issue on this appeal is whether an infant model may disaffirm a prior unrestricted consent executed on her behalf by her parent and maintain an action pursuant to section 51 of the Civil Rights Law against her photographer for republication of photographs of her. We hold that she may not." A photograph of one of those original photographs was produced by American artist

Richard Prince Richard Prince (born 1949) is an American painter and photographer. In the mid-1970s, Prince made drawings and painterly collages that he has since disowned. His image, ''Untitled (Cowboy)'', a rephotographing of a photograph by Sam Abell and ...

, an artist famous for his "reproduction photography." Prince called his version "Spiritual America," after a 1923 photograph by

Alfred Stieglitz Alfred Stieglitz (January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz was kno ...

that depicts the genitals of a workhorse. Although it had previously been shown in New York's

Guggenheim Museum The Guggenheim Museums are a group of museums in different parts of the world established (or proposed to be established) by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Museums in this group include: Locations Americas * The Solomon R. Guggenhei ...

in 2007, eluding debate, "Spiritual America" was removed from the

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...

gallery exhibition called Pop Life: Art in a Material World in 2009 after protesters described the image as "obscene" and a "magnet for pedophiles". Gross has stated that "The photo has been infamous from the day I took it and I intended it to be" and that he was "disappointed but not surprised" by the Tate's decision to remove the photograph.

Death

Gross died from cardiac arrest at his home in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

neighborhood on November 30, 2010."NY photographer of young, nude Brooke Shields dies"
, Bay Ledger, December 8, 2010

References

External links

On ArtSlant
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gross, Garry 1937 births 2010 deaths American portrait photographers Fashion photographers Dog trainers Photographers from the Bronx Colorado State University alumni

Career

Brooke Shields photograph controversy

Death

See also

References

External links