When I was at university, one of the artists I studied was iconic photographer, Eve Arnold, who died last week aged 100. Born in America to Russian-Jewish parents in 1912, she wanted to be a dancer or a writer, but instead stumbled into the world of photography, where she was to leave her unforgettable mark.
Arnold was the first female to be admitted to the prestigious Magnum Photos Agency in 1951 and she became a full member in 1957, showing obvious skill.
Photographing people at work became a constant theme in her photography, but her photos of stars are her most well known. Here she has captured workers gathering around one of the first television sets in New York City during the 1952 presidential elections.....
Marilyn trusted Arnold more than any other photographer and their relationship is well-documented. Arnold had a sympathetic approach toward her subjects and a protective nature of them afterwards, she was able to capture a closeness that is not easy for most others to do.
Eve and Marilyn.....
She won many prestigious awards including an OBE in recognition of her services in 2003. When asked by Angelica Houston in an interview for a retrospective book of Arnold's work, if she was doing photography any more, Arnold replied: "That's over, I can't hold a camera any more."
Arnold was the first female to be admitted to the prestigious Magnum Photos Agency in 1951 and she became a full member in 1957, showing obvious skill.
Photographing people at work became a constant theme in her photography, but her photos of stars are her most well known. Here she has captured workers gathering around one of the first television sets in New York City during the 1952 presidential elections.....
On a rally in 1961 with Malcolm X. Arnold said, he was "a tough man who let me into his life".
Arnold travelled the world to show people, both famous and ordinary, as they are, including Queen Elizabeth II, actresses Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich. She covered the making of dozens of feature films and in 1962 she moved to England with her son where she worked for the Sunday Times and began to use colour.
She is best known for her intimate images of actress Marilyn Monroe, with whom she had a close friendship. They were both relatively unknown. She took many photos of Monroe from 1951 onwards.
Eve and Marilyn.....
Eve Arnold's pictures are some of the most abiding images of our time.....
She won many prestigious awards including an OBE in recognition of her services in 2003. When asked by Angelica Houston in an interview for a retrospective book of Arnold's work, if she was doing photography any more, Arnold replied: "That's over, I can't hold a camera any more."
