Harry Gruyaert (born 1941) is a Belgian photographer known for his images of India, Morocco and Egypt as well as of the west of Ireland and for his use of colour. He is a member of

Magnum Photos Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in New York City, Paris, London and Tokyo. It was founded in 1947 in Paris by photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour (photographer), Davi ...

. His work has been published in a number of books, been exhibited widely and won the Kodak Prize.

Life and work

Gruyaert was born in 1941 in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Belgium. He studied at the School for Photo and Cinema in Brussels from 1959 to 1962.Harry Gruyaert: Belgian b. 1941
,

. Accessed 29 August 2014. He began freelance work in Paris, while working as a director of photography for Flemish television. In 1969 Gruyaert made his first trip to Morocco. The resulting work won him the Kodak Prize in 1976Prix Kodak de la Critique Photographique: Liste des lauréats
,

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

. Accessed 29 August 2014. and was published in the book ''Morocco'' in 1990. He travelled to India for the first time in 1976 and to Egypt in 1987. In 1972 he photographed the

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

in Munich and the first Apollo flights as they were shown on a television set. This series, ''TV Shots'', was first exhibited at the Delpire Gallery in 1974Harry Gruyaert TV Shots 1 September - 2 October Cologne
, Phillips (auctioneers). Accessed 29 August 2014. and later elsewhere. It was published as a book in 2007. Gruyaert joined

in 1982 and became a full member in 1986.

Innovation and reception

Gruyaert was experimenting with Kodachrome colour film for his documentary work in the late 1960s, contemporary with work by

Ernst Haas Ernst Haas (March 2, 1921 – September 12, 1986) was an Austrian-American photojournalist and color photographer. During his 40-year career, Haas bridged the gap between photojournalism and the use of photography as a medium for expression an ...

William Eggleston William Eggleston (born July 27, 1939) is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition for color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include ''William Eggleston's Guide'' (1976) and ''The ...

and Joel Meyerwitz touted by US commentators as 'The New Color', though after that of other Americans Saul Leiter, Gordon Parks and

Vivian Maier Vivian Dorothy Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) was an American street photographer whose work was discovered and recognized after her death. She worked for about 40 years as a nanny, mostly in Chicago's North Shore, while pursuing ...

in the 1950s. With Alex Webb, he was one of the first in the Magnum agency to shoot entirely in colour when he was invited to join in 1982. Wilco Versteeg, in reviewing his work in 2018 writes that;

Publications

Publications by Gruyaert

*''Lumières Blanches.'' Paris: Centre national de la photographie, 1986. . Introduction by Alain Macaire and text by

Richard Nonas Richard Nonas (January 3, 1936 – May 11, 2021) was an American anthropologist and post-minimalist sculptor. He lived and worked in New York City. Education Nonas was educated in literature and anthropology at University of Michigan, Lafay ...

, translated into English by

Brice Matthieussent Brice Matthieussent (born 1950) is a French literary translator. He has translated over 200 novels from English into French. He won the 2013 Prix Jules Janin from the Académie française for his translations of the works of Jim Harrison. Early l ...

. Published on the occasion of the Gruyaert exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, 24 April–9 June 1986. *''Morocco'' **''Morocco.'' Munich: Schirmer/Mosel, 1990. . With an interview by Brice Matthieussent. **''Marruecos.'' Seville: Fundación de las Tres Culturas, 2009. . Text in English, French and Spanish, by Gerardo Ruiz-Rico Ruiz and Brice Mathieussent, translated by Francis Merino and Meriem Abdelaziz. **''Maroc.'' Paris: Textuel, 2013. . *''Made in Belgium.'' Paris: Nathan/ Delpire, 2000. . Text by Hugo Claus, in Flemish and French. *''Rivages'' **Paris: Textuel, 2003. . Preface by Charles-Arthur Boyer. **Paris: Textuel, 2008. *''Harry Gruyaert.'' Photo Poche series. Arles, France: Actes Sud, 2006. . *''TV Shots.'' Göttingen: Steidl, 2007. . With a text by Jean-Philippe Toussaint. *''Harry Gruyaert: Edges''. Amsterdam: Mets & Schilt, 2009. . Edited and with preface by Charles-Arthur Boyer. *''Moscow 1989-2009.'' Paris: Be-Pôles, 2010. . Text in French and English. *''Roots.'' Paris: Xavier Barral, 2012. . *''Irish Summers.'' Gallery 51, 2020. . Work made in Ireland between 1983 and 1984.

Publications with others

*''Way to Gods: Magunamu Foto: Kumano kodō, Santiago e no michi'' (), ed. Nagasaka Yoshimitsu (). Tokyo: Kawade Kobō Shinsha, 1999. . (Additional title on front cover: ''Ancient Kumano Roads and Roads to Santiago.'') Contains photographs of

Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint ...

by Gruyaert and Peter Marlow, and of Kumano kodō by Marlow, Elliott Erwitt and

Chris Steele-Perkins Christopher Horace Steele-Perkins (born 28 July 1947) is a British photographer and member of Magnum Photos, best known for his depictions of Africa, Afghanistan, England, Northern Ireland, and Japan. Life and career Steele-Perkins was born in ...

. *''Nord-pas-de-Calais Picardie.'' Paris:

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

, 2004. . Photographs by Gruyaert, French-language text by

Marie Desplechin Marie Desplechin (born Roubaix, Nord, 7 January 1959) is a French writer. She studied literature and journalism before becoming a writer. She is the author of several children's novels and ''Taking it to Heart'', a collection of short stories. '' ...

. *''Tour Granite.'' Paris: Xavier Barral, 2009. . Photographs by Gruyaert and

Jean Gaumy Jean Gaumy (born 1948) is a French photographer and filmmaker who has been associated with Magnum Photos since 1977 who has specialised in depictions of isolated or confined communities and groups. Early life and education Jean Gaumy was born on ...

, text by Éric Reinhardt. *

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

*1974: ''TV Shots,'' Delpire Gallery, Paris. *2008: ''TV Shots,''

Phillips de Pury & Company Phillips, formerly known as Phillips the Auctioneers (briefly as Phillips de Pury), is a British auction house. It was founded in London in 1796, and has head offices in London and in New York City. It was owned by the Mercury Group, a Russian ...

, Cologne, Germany. *2008: ''TV Shots,'' installation, Paris Photo. *2012: ''Moscow 1989-2009.''

Moscow Biennale The Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art is one of the most important Russian cultural events and was founded in 2003. First Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art The First Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art (January 28 – February 28, 2005) ca ...

2012, Le Manège, Moscow. *2012/2013: ''Roots,''

Le Botanique Le Botanique ( French) or Kruidtuin (Dutch) is a cultural complex and music venue in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Brussels, Belgium. The building was previously the main orangery of the National Botanic Garden of Belgium and even as part of the gard ...

, Brussels. *2015: ''Harry Gruyaert,''

, London, 15 September – 31 October 2015. *2018: ''Retrospectieve,''

Fotomuseum Antwerp Fotomuseum Antwerp, also known as FOMU, is a museum of photography in Antwerp, Belgium. History and programme The museum opened in 1986. The Fotomuseum in Antwerp has a historical and contemporary collection of photography that is given a new p ...

, Antwerp, 9 March 2018 - 10 June 2018.

Exhibitions with others

*1976: ''TV Shots: Photo Murals by Harry Gruyaert and Charles Goossens,'' International Center of Photography. *2012: ''Cartier-Bresson: A Question of Colour,''

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

, London.

Award

*1976: Winner, Kodak Prize.

Collections

Gruyaert's work is held in the following permanent collections: *MAST, Foto/Industria, Bologna, Italy. * Harry Ransom Center,

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

, TX. *

Bibliothèque Nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

, Paris. *David Roberts collection, London.Collecting
, David Roberts Arts Foundation. Accessed 29 August 2014.

References

External links

Gruyaert's portfolio at Magnum Photos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gruyaert, Harry Photographers from Antwerp Living people 1941 births Magnum photographers Photography in India Photography in Egypt Street photographers Humanist photographers