Facing the Artist (Prestel)

the long version

For well over half a century, John Jonas Gruen has been observing artists. As a photographer, critic, and composer, his encounters with the movers and shakers of the New York art scene make him one of the most experienced chroniclers of personalities in the late 20th century. For the first time ever, Gruen has assembled the best of his photographic portraits in book form, offering an exclusive glimpse into the world of art celebrity from 1957 to the present. Gruen's work for a New York photo agency in the 1950s put him into contact with some of the greatest photographers of the day, including Brassai, Robert Doisneau, Bill Brandt, Sabine Weiss, and Man Ray. These relationships and Gruen's subsequent work as an art critic for leading publications such as the New York Herald Tribune and ARTnews magazine gave him exposure and experience, which he matched with boundless energy and elan. The result is a series of portraits which captures the essence of such well-known artists as Keith Haring, Jasper Johns, and Yoko Ono. The photographs radiate a warmth that reveals Gruen's friendship with his subjects, with a powerful, moving sensitivity.