Louise Dahl-Wolfe

Louise Dahl-Wolfe opens a window onto the work of one of the most influential fashion photographers of the 20th century. After being discovered by Edward Steichen and having her work exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1937, Dahl-Wolfe went on to revitalize the Hollywood portrait and invigorate the fashion photography of the 1930s, '40s and '50s. During her tenure at Harper's Bazaar—which lasted over two decades, and during which time she worked with Diana Vreeland—Dahl-Wolfe pioneered the use of natural lighting in fashion photography, shooting on location and outdoors. Her modernist outlook changed American visual culture, influencing a school of artists—namely Richard Avedon, Horst P. Horst and Irving Penn. Spanning over 30 years, this survey takes into account Dahl-Wolfe's work not just in fashion, but also in portraiture and nude photography. Today, she stands among some of the most prestigious photographers of her time, including Steichen, George Hoyningen-Huene, Erwin Blumenfeld and Martin Munkácsi, with a mastery of the genre that still resonates with fashion and portraiture lovers alike.

Format: Hardback
Number of pages: 256
Number of images: 137
Publication date: 2016-05-24
Measurements: 8.25 x 11.25 x 1.1 inches
ISBN: 9781597113588

…Dahl-Wolfe’s photography featured a stunning use of natural lighting and work on location which singlehandedly revolutionized American photography culture. –Harper’s Bazaar
provides a comprehensive look at the influential photographer’s work. –T Magazine

Louise Dahl-Wolfe (born in San Francisco, 1895; died New Jersey, 1989) began her career making pictures in 1923. After studying at the San Francisco Institute of Art, she moved to New York and opened a photography studio, which she maintained until 1960. In 1936 she was hired as a staff photographer at Harper’s Bazaar, and over the next thirty years revolutionized fashion photography through her editorial and personal work. Her work has been exhibited at the Grey Gallery at New York University; International Museum of Photography, Rochester, New York; Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Tucson; and Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, among others.
Louise Dahl-Wolfe (born in San Francisco, 1895; died New Jersey, 1989) began her career making pictures in 1923. After studying at the San Francisco Institute of Art, she moved to New York and opened a photography studio, which she maintained until 1960. In 1936 she was hired as a staff photographer at Harper’s Bazaar, and over the next thirty years revolutionized fashion photography through her editorial and personal work. Her work has been exhibited at the Grey Gallery at New York University; International Museum of Photography, Rochester, New York; Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Tucson; and Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, among others.
Oliva María Rubio is the artistic director at La Fábrica, Madrid, previously serving as the director of exhibitions and general curator of PHotoEspaña. In addition to curating numerous exhibitions, she has juried a lengthy list of international awards, among them the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize/The Photographers’ Gallery, London (2010); Henri Cartier-Bresson Award, Paris (2009); Spanish National Photography Award, Madrid (2000 and 2007); and L’Oreal Award at the Pingyao International Festival of Photography, China (2002). Rubio is the author of The A–Z of Spanish Photographers: From the XIX to the XXI Century (2014) and La mirada interior: el surrealismo y la pintura (1994) and has contributed texts to numerous catalogues.
John P. Jacob is the McEvoy Family Curator for Photography at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. From 2011 to 2015, he served as the director of the Legacy Program for the Magnum Foundation, and from 2003 to 2015 he was the director of the Inge Morath Foundation, both in New York. Prior to that, he was executive director and senior curator of the Photographic Resource Center at Boston University.
Celina Lunsford is the artistic director of the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt and vice president of the Deutsche Fotografische Akademie. She has also served as guest curator for the International Photography Festival Lodz, Poland; Lianzhou International Photography Festival, China; and La Fábrica and Fundación MAPFRE, both Madrid. She has written and edited numerous books on international photography, such as Imogen Cunningham (2012), Fast Forward: Photographic Message from Korea (2005), and Women by Women: Eight Women Photographers from the Arab World (2004).