William Klein

WILLIAM KLEIN (New York, 1926- Paris, 2022) .
"Simone + Sophia Loren, Rome," 1960.
Gelatin silver print.
Signed, titled, dated in pencil (on reverse).
Provenance: private collection Solomon, New York.
Measurements: 46 x 34.5 cm (image); 51 x 41 cm (paper).

A shopkeeper holds with both hands a large cut-out poster with a life-size image of Sophia Loren. Simone looks sideways at the grande dame of Italian cinema, and behind her float a wall clock and a traffic sign. This is a sidewalk scene in which the chaotic spontaneity of human life and the calculating eye of William Klein, one of the most "cinematic" photographers of his time , coincide.

William Klein was an American photographer and film director. Although he was born in New York and educated at the City College of New York, Klein's activity developed mainly in France. He had directed a number of feature films (including the 1966 film "Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo" and the anti-American satire "Mr. Freedom"). In the photographic field, Klein won the Nadar Award in 1956. In 1947, while in the army, he traveled for the first time to Paris and since then lived and worked in this city, with which he fell in love. In 1948 he enrolled at the Sorbonne University, where he was a student of Fernand Léger, among others. His best known works revolve around fashion and street photography, of which he was considered one of the creators and masters. Awards: In 1988 he was awarded the culture prize of the German photography association. In 1990 he received the International Award of the Hasselblad Foundation. In 2005 he received the PhotoEspaña award. Photography books: 1956. Life Is Good & Good for You in New York: Trance witness revels, Éditions su Seul, Paris. 1959. Rome: the City and its People, Feltrinelli, Milan. 1964. Tokyo, Zokeisha Publications, Tokyo. 1964. Moscow, Zokeisha Publications, Tokyo. 1989. Close up, Thames and Hudson, London, New York and Paris. KLEIN, W. (1990). Torino '90, Federico Motta, Milan. 1994. In and Out of Fashion, Random House, New York and London.