'My idea of a good picture is one that's in focus and of a famous person doing something unfamous. That's why Ron Gallela is my favourite photographer."'
- Andy Warhol
Ron
Galella has played an instrumental role in the development of the turbulent and
many say abusive relationship between celebrity and the press we are well acquainted
with today. Believe it or not, there was a time before paparazzi and the unyielding
harassment that is an accepted part of life as a public figure. He has been
called "the Godfather of the U.S. paparazzi culture" by Time magazine and his photographs have been
printed in Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar to name but a
few.
Galella is a controversial figure, mostly due to the fractious
and obsessive nature of his relationship with one of his favourite and most
un-willing subjects Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Galella’s pursuit of the former
First Lady led to the infamous free-speech trial resulting in a restraining
order. The photographer’s dedication to getting the photograph landed him in
court a second time when he won a lawsuit for $40,000 against Hollywood bad boy
Marlon Brando, who punched Galella in the face breaking his jaw and knocking
out five of his teeth.
The infamy of Galella, and his own notoriety (he refers to
himself as a celebrity paparazzo) raises many questions. The quick, point and
shoot method necessary when capturing speedily escaping stars doesn’t require
the technical proficiency mastered by Galella’s contemporaries, like Irving
Penn and Richard Avedon. This begs the question; what makes a photograph, the technique
or the subject matter? Whatever your opinion, this photographer was prolific in
capturing stars such as John Lennon, Mick Jagger, John Lennon and Truman Capote
in real and human moments, often hanging out at the legendary nightclub Studio
54, proving endless and nostalgic stargazing.
'My idea of a good picture is one that's in focus and of a famous person doing something unfamous. That's why Ron Gallela is my favourite photographer."'
- Andy Warhol
Ron
Galella has played an instrumental role in the development of the turbulent and
many say abusive relationship between celebrity and the press we are well acquainted
with today. Believe it or not, there was a time before paparazzi and the unyielding
harassment that is an accepted part of life as a public figure. He has been
called "the Godfather of the U.S. paparazzi culture" by Time magazine and his photographs have been
printed in Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar to name but a
few.
Galella is a controversial figure, mostly due to the fractious
and obsessive nature of his relationship with one of his favourite and most
un-willing subjects Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Galella’s pursuit of the former
First Lady led to the infamous free-speech trial resulting in a restraining
order. The photographer’s dedication to getting the photograph landed him in
court a second time when he won a lawsuit for $40,000 against Hollywood bad boy
Marlon Brando, who punched Galella in the face breaking his jaw and knocking
out five of his teeth.
The infamy of Galella, and his own notoriety (he refers to
himself as a celebrity paparazzo) raises many questions. The quick, point and
shoot method necessary when capturing speedily escaping stars doesn’t require
the technical proficiency mastered by Galella’s contemporaries, like Irving
Penn and Richard Avedon. This begs the question; what makes a photograph, the technique
or the subject matter? Whatever your opinion, this photographer was prolific in
capturing stars such as John Lennon, Mick Jagger, John Lennon and Truman Capote
in real and human moments, often hanging out at the legendary nightclub Studio
54, proving endless and nostalgic stargazing.
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