Joyce Tenneson (born May 29, 1945) is an American
fine art photographer
Fine-art photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. This stand ...
known for her distinctive style of photography, which often involves nude or semi-nude women.
Biography
Tenneson earned her master's degree in photography from
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
after starting as a model for
Polaroid
Polaroid may refer to:
* Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras
* Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation
* Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs
* Polar ...
. She left her job as a photography professor at 39, and moved from Washington to New York. Tenneson shoots primarily with the
Polaroid 20x24 camera. In an interview with a photography magazine, Tenneson advised artists: "I very strongly believe that if you go back to your roots, if you mine that inner territory, you can bring out something that is indelibly you and authentic - like your thumbprint. It's going to have your style because there is no one like you." As a child, her parents worked on the grounds of a convent, which is where she grew up with her two sisters.
She and her sister "were
enlisted to be in holiday pageants and processions. It was a mysterious environment - something out of
Fellini
Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...
- filled with symbolism, ritual, beauty, and also a disturbing kind of surreal imagery."
Her work has been displayed in more than 100 exhibitions around the world. Tenneson has had cover images on several magazines including ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'', ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'', ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'', ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'', ''
Premiere
A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition.
A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...
'', ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' and ''
The New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...
''.
Awards
In 1989, Tenneson received the "Infinity" award from the
International Center of Photography
The International Center of Photography (ICP), at 79 Essex Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, consists of a museum for photography and visual culture and a school offering an array of educational courses and programming. ...
, and in 1990 received
Women in Photography International's "Photographer of the Year" award.
In 2005, Tenneson received the
Lucie Award The Lucie Awards is an annual event honoring achievements in photography, founded in 2003 by Hossein Farmani.
The Lucie Awards is an annual gala ceremony presented by the Lucie Foundation (a 501 (c)3 non-profit charitable organization), honoring ...
for "Professional Fine Art Photographer of the Year."
In 2012, Tenneson received the Lifetime Achievement Award from
Professional Photographers of America
Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is a nonprofit trade association of professional photographers. As of August 2022, PPA has 34,000 members.
History
19th century
The association began in December 1868 as the National Photographic Ass ...
.
PPA Press Release
In 2018, Tenneson received the Lucie Award for Achievement in Portraitur
In 2021, Tenneson was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum, International Photography Hall of Fame.
Books
*''In/Sights'' (1978)
*''Joyce Tenneson Photographs'' (1984)
*''Au-Dela'' (1989)
*''Transformations'' (1993)
*''Illuminations'' (1997)
*''Light Warriors'' (2000)
*''Wise Women'' (2002)
*''Flower Portraits'' (2003)
*''Intimacy'' (2004)
*''Amazing Men'' (2004)
*''A Life in Photography'' (2008)
*''Shells: Nature's Exquisite Creations'' (2011)
Major Exhibitions
* ''Joyce Tenneson - Botanical Beauty'', Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, Nashville, TN (2018)
References
Further reading
*
* Joyce, Eleanor
"Joyce Tenneson: Revealing Veils"
Kalliope, a journal of women's art and literature. 20(2), 24-34.
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tenneson, Joyce
1945 births
Living people
American photographers
Fine art photographers
Artists from Maine
Photographers from Maine
20th-century American women photographers
20th-century American photographers
21st-century American women