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Galella was known for his obsessive picture taking of Jacqueline Onassis and the subsequent legal battles associated with it. ''
Photology Online Gallery
''Exclusive Diary'', 2021
Ronald Edward Galella (January 10, 1931 – April 30, 2022) was an American
.
photographer
A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs.
Duties and types of photographers
As in other ...
, known as a pioneer paparazzo. Dubbed "Paparazzo Extraordinaire" by ''Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...
'' and "the Godfather of the U.S. paparazzi culture" by ''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, ...
'' magazine and '' Vanity Fair'', he is regarded by '' Harper's Bazaar'' as "arguably the most controversial paparazzo of all time". He photographed many celebrities out of the public eye and gained notice for his feuds with some of them, including Jacqueline Onassis and Marlon Brando. Despite the numerous controversies and claims of stalking
Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...
, Galella's work was praised and exhibited in art galleries
An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...
worldwide.
During his career, Galella took more than three million photographs of public figures.
Early life
Galella was born in New York City on January 10, 1931, in a family of Italian heritage. His father, Vincenzo, was an immigrant fromMuro Lucano
Muro Lucano formerly Muro (until 1863) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the northern part of the region of Basilicata, southern Italy.
History
The city is situated on the site of the ancient Numistri, at the foot of the ...
, Basilicata, who manufactured pianos and coffins; his mother, Michelina (Marinaccio), was born in New Jersey to immigrants from Benevento, Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
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, and worked as a crochet beader. After graduating high school, he won a two-year scholarship at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn but turned it down due to his deficiencies in mathematics.
Galella served as a United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
photographer from 1951 to 1955, including during the Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. He later attended the Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design (stylized as ArtCenter College of Design) is a private art college in Pasadena, California.
History
ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 1930 in downtown Los Angeles as the Art Center School.
In 1935, Fred ...
in Los Angeles, California, graduating with a degree in photojournalism in 1958. In his free time, Galella took pictures of the stars arriving at film premieres, selling them to magazines like ''National Enquirer
The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years.
The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays sources for tips, a common practice in tabl ...
'' and '' Photoplay''. He soon became known for his photographic approach, portraying famous people out of the spotlight.
Career
Galella's photographs have been featured in hundreds of publications 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, ...
'', '' Harper's Bazaar'', ''Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'', '' Vanity Fair'', ''People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'', ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', and ''Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
''. In his in-home darkroom, Galella made his own prints which have been exhibited at museums and galleries throughout the world, including the MoMA in New York City, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and wa ...
, 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 ...
in London, and the Helmut Newton Foundation Museum of Photography in Berlin.
In 2009, his father's hometown of Muro Lucano
Muro Lucano formerly Muro (until 1863) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the northern part of the region of Basilicata, southern Italy.
History
The city is situated on the site of the ancient Numistri, at the foot of the ...
made Galella an honorary citizen
Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...
. He was the subject of a 2010 documentary film by Leon Gast entitled '' Smash His Camera''. The film's title is a quote from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis directed to her security agent after Galella pursued her and her children through Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
, New York. The documentary premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Grand Jury Award for Directing in the U.S. Documentary category. It also received positive reviews at the 54th BFI London Film Festival before it aired on the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Controversies
Galella was known for his obsessive picture taking of Jacqueline Onassis and the subsequent legal battles associated with it. ''The New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' called it "the most co-dependent celeb-pap razzorelationship ever". The 1972 free-speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
trial ''Galella v. Onassis'' resulted in a restraining order to keep Galella 50 yards (later changed to 25 feet) away from Onassis. He was found guilty of breaking this order four times and faced seven years in jail and a $120,000 fine; later settling for a $10,000 fine and surrendering his rights to photograph Jackie and her children.
On June 12, 1973, actor Marlon Brando punched Galella in the face outside a restaurant in Chinatown in New York City, breaking the photographer's jaw and knocking out five of his teeth on the left side of his mouth. Galella had been following Brando, who was accompanied by Dick Cavett, to the restaurant after a taping of ''The Dick Cavett Show
''The Dick Cavett Show'' was the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including:
* ABC daytime, (March 4, 1968–January 24, 1969) originally titled ''This Morning''
* ABC prime time, Tuesdays, We ...
'' earlier that day. Galella hired lawyers Stuart Schlesinger and Alfred Julien to sue Brando and ultimately settled for US$40,000. Schlesinger reported in the 2010 documentary '' Smash His Camera'' that Galella received two-thirds, but only cared about getting the message out, "I don't want anyone to think they can go around punching me if I am taking their picture. Get that story out, not the money." The next time Galella chased Brando, he wore a football helmet.
Galella once lost a tooth when he was beaten by Richard Burton
Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...
's security guards. He unsuccessfully sued the actor. Elizabeth Taylor, who tended to be tolerant towards photographers, was often heard to mutter, "I'm going to kill Ron Galella!", although the actress would later use his photographs in her biography. Galella's other targets included Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, whose bodyguards slashed his tires, Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...
, whose security staff hosed him down, the restaurateur Elaine Kaufman of Elaine's
Elaine's was a bar and restaurant in New York City that existed from 1963 to 2011. It was frequented by many celebrities, especially actors and authors. It was established, owned by and named after Elaine Kaufman, who was indelibly associated wi ...
once threw a trashcan lid at his head, and Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008).
Penn began his acting career in televisi ...
, who spat at him and reportedly punched him while being photographed with his then-wife Madonna.
In spite of these controversies, art galleries across the world have valued his work for its artistic and socio-historical value. He was praised by Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...
, who said: "My idea of a good picture is one that's in focus and of a famous person doing something unfamous. It's being in the right place at the wrong time. That's why my favorite photographer is Ron Galella". Art writer Glenn O'Brien defined him as a "brilliant realist able to represent the world faithfully". One of Galella's pictures depicting Jacqueline Onassis, dubbed "Windblown Jackie", was included among "The most influential images of all time" by ''Time'' magazine in 2016.
Personal life
Galella married Betty Lou Burke in 1979. She worked as a photo editor for ''Today Is Sunday'', and was subsequently his business partner. They remained married until her death on January 9, 2017, at the age of 68. Speaking of his wife, Galella said, "When Betty first purchased my photos for publication and granted me assignment credentials over the phone, I fell in love with her warm soft, loving voice. I met her in person for the first time, two years later, on Dec. 10, 1978, at theKennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
for the premiere of '' Superman''. With one look at that beautiful girl, I said, 'I'm gonna marry you.' And five months later, we were. Once married, we became a team."
After retiring as a paparazzo, Galella was active as a photographer at prominent culture events. He resided in Montville, New Jersey
Montville is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 21,528, reflecting an increase of 689 (+3.3%) from the 20,839 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in tu ...
, during his later years.
Galella died on April 30, 2022, at his home in Montville, New Jersey. He was 91, and suffered from congestive heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...
prior to his death.
Publications
* ''Jacqueline''. 1974, Sheed and Ward. . * ''Offguard: A Paparazzi Look at the Beautiful People''. 1976,McGraw-Hill
McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes refere ...
. .
* ''The Photographs of Ron Galella: 1965–1989''. 2001, Greybull. .
* ''Ron Galella Exclusive Diary''. 2004, Photology. .
* ''Disco Years''. 2006, PowerHouse Books
powerHouse Books is an independent publisher of art and photography books founded in 1995 by Daniel Power, based near the Brooklyn waterfront of DUMBO in The powerHouse Arena.
The powerHouse Arena also serves as a gallery, bookstore, and event ...
. .
* ''Warhol by Galella: That's Great!''. 2008, Verlhac; Montacelli; Seeman Henschel. .
* ''No Pictures''. 2008, PowerHouse. .
* ''Viva l'Italia!''. 2009, Galella; Distributed by PowerHouse. .
* ''Man in the Mirror: Michael Jackson''. 2009, PowerHouse. .
* ''Boxing With the Stars''. 2011, Verlhac. .
* ''Ron Galella: Paparazzo Extraordinaire'' with Mathias Prinz (2012, Hatje Cantz. .
* ''Jackie: My ObsessionJ''. 2013, Galella. .
* ''Pop, Rock & Dance''. 2013, Galella. .
* ''The Stories Behind the Pictures''. 2014, Galella. .
* ''Sex in Fashion''. 2015, Galella. .
* ''Rock and Roll''. 2016, Galella. .
* ''Donald Trump the Master Builder''. 2017, Galella. .
* ''Shooting Stars''. January 2019, Galella. .
Exhibitions
* Soho Gallery, 1972, New York City * G. Ray Hawkins Gallery, 1976, New York City * Rizzoli Gallery, 1976, New York City * Union Carbide, 1977, New York City * William Lyons Gallery, 1980 Coconut Grove, Florida * Octagon Club, 1987, New York City * Nikon Gallery, 1993, New York City * Serge Sorokko Gallery, 1997, New York City *Andy Warhol Museum
The Andy Warhol Museum is located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the largest museum in North America dedicated to a single artist. The museum holds an extensive permanent collection of art and arc ...
, ''Ron Galella Retrospective'', June 2002 – September 2002 Pittsburgh, PA
* Paul Kasmin Gallery, ''The Photographs of Ron Galella'', 2002, New York City
* Holt-Renfrew, ''Flick'', 2003 Toronto, Canada
* Photology, ''Ron Galella Exclusive Diary'', 2004 Milan, Italy
* Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, ''The Photographs of Ron Galella'', 2004/5, Amsterdamn, Netherlands
* Artelibro Festival of Art and Books, ''Ron Galella Exclusive Diary: Caught Off-Guard'', 2005, Bologna, Italy
* Ferragamo Gallery, ''Ron Galella Exclusive Diary: Caught Off-Guard'', 2005, New York City
* Kunstforum, ''Superstars: From Warhol to Madonna'', 2005/6
* PowerHouse Arena, ''Ron Galella: The Kennedy'',, New York City
* Paul Kasmin Gallery, ''Disco Years'', 2005/6, New York City
* Buro Beelende Kunst Vlissinger ''Ron Galella: The One and Only Paparazzo'', Brooklyn, New York
* Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, ''Disco Years'', 2006/7, Amsterdamn, Netherlands
* PowerHouse Arena, ''Warhol is Dead!'', 2007
* The Gershwin Hotel – 2007, New York City
* PowerHouse Arena, ''That 70's Show'', 2007 Brooklyn, New York
* The Museum of Modern Art, ''Iconic Photos of Ron Galella acquired into collection'', 2007, New York City
* The Museum of Modern Art, ''Iconic Photos of Ron Galella acquired into collection'', 2008, New York City
* The Tate Modern Museum, ''Street + Stuido: An Urband History of Photography'', 2008 London, England
* The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is a historic hotel located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. It opened on May 15, 1927, and is the oldest continually operating hotel in Los Angeles.
History
The hote ...
''Warhol by Galella: That's Great!'', 2008–Present Hollywood, CA
* Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, ''Warhol by Galella: That's Great!'', 2008–Present Amsterdam, Netherlands
* Staly-Wise Gallery, ''Warhol by Galella: That's Great!'', 2008–Present, New York City
* GMW Law Offices, ''Offguard: Ron Galella Photography'', 2008–Present Den Haag, Netherlands
* Helmut Newton Foundation Museum of Photography, ''Pigozzi and the Paparazzi'', 2008 Berlin, Germany
* Hamburger Bahnfof Museum Fur Gegenwart, ''Celebrities: Andy Warhol and the Stars'' 2008/9
* Palazzo Lanfranchi, Carlo Levi Hall, ''Ron Galella: Italian Icons'', 2009, Matera, Italy
* Archeology Museum of Muro Lucano
Muro Lucano formerly Muro (until 1863) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the northern part of the region of Basilicata, southern Italy.
History
The city is situated on the site of the ancient Numistri, at the foot of the ...
, ''Viva l'Italia'', 2009–Present
* La Casa Encendida, 2009, Madrid, Spain
* MART Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, ''Picturing New York: Photographs from the Museum of Modern Art'', 2009, Rovereto, Italy
* Centaur Theatre Company, ''Viva l'Italia'', 2009, Montreal, Canada
* Irish Museum of Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art ( ga, Áras Nua-Ealaíne na hÉireann) also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. Located in Kilmainham, Dublin, the Museum pr ...
, ''Picturing New York: Photographs from the Museum of Modern Art'', 2009/10, Dublin
* Lena Di Gangi Gallery, ''The Photographs of Ron Galella'', 2009/10, Totawa, NJ
* PowerHouse Arena, ''Man in the Mirror: Michael Jackson by Ron Galella'', 2009, Brooklyn, NY
* Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands- ''Ron Galella: Paparazzo Extraordinaire!'', 2012
* Galerie La Flo, St. Tropex France, ''Boxing with the Stars'', 2012
* Fundación Novacaixagalicia, ''Ron Galella: Paparazzo Extraordinaire!'', La Coruña, Spain, 2013/14, Pontevedra, Spain, 2014
* Centre Pompidou
The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...
Paparazzi!, Metz, France, ''Photographers, Stars, and Artists'', 2014
* Staley-Wise Gallery, ''Pop, Rock & Dance'', 2013/14, New York City
* Fotomuseum Winterthur
Fotomuseum Winterthur is a museum of photography in Winterthur, Switzerland.
History
The museum was founded in 1993 and is dedicated to photography as art form and document, and as a representation of reality. Fotomuseum Winterthur is an art g ...
, Switzerland, 2014
* Albertina, ''Blow-Up'' -Vienna, Austria, 2014
* Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany, ''Paparazzi! Photographers, Stars, and Artists'', 2014
* Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland, ''Paparazzi! Photographers, Stars, and Artists'', 2014/15
* C/O Berlin, Berlin, Germany, ''Blow-Up'', 2015
* Photology Noto, Noto, Sicily, ''Vintage Galella'', 2015
* Photology Garzón, Garzón, Uruguay, ''Vintage Galella'', 2016
* Staley Wise Gallery, New York City, ''55 Years a Paparazzi'', 2015
* Int'l Center for Photography, New York City, ''Public, Private Secret'', 2017
Photology Online Gallery
''Exclusive Diary'', 2021
References
External links
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Galella, Ron 1931 births 2022 deaths United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War American photographers People from Montville, New Jersey United States Air Force airmen Military personnel from New York City American people of Italian descent Photographers from the Bronx Art Center College of Design alumni Deaths from congestive heart failure