Bill Cunningham (photographer, 1929)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bill Cunningham out and about in his typical work clothes with a blue jacket (2010)

William Jay "Bill" Cunningham Jr. ( March 13, 1929 in Boston , Massachusetts - June 25, 2016 in Manhattan , New York ) was an American fashion photographer for the New York Times . He was known for his snapshot and street photography .

Life

Cunningham was born in Boston in 1929, the second of four children to a family of Irish descent. After finishing school, he received a scholarship to Harvard , but dropped out after two months. He moved to New York City in 1948 and opened a hatmaker's shop on East 52nd Street , which was featured in the New York Times in 1950. He earned his living working in a drugstore and restaurant. After he had been drafted for the Korean War for over two years , he opened a new shop on his return under the name "William J." on West 54th Street. At the same time he also earned a freelance columnist for the Women's Wear Daily . He began photography in 1967 and accepted assignments from the Daily News and the Chicago Tribune . He has worked regularly for the New York Times since the late 1970s; However, he did not accept their offer for a permanent position until 1994. For the New York Times he was regularly cycling in Midtown until shortly before his death , observing the latest fashion trends, spontaneously photographing passers-by and using them to create commented photo series for his column.

In the 2011 documentary about him, he opposed the attitude that fashion is only for the rich and vain. He said:

“The wider world perceives fashion as frivolity that should be done away with. The point is that fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life. I don't think you can do away with it. It would be like doing away with civilization. [...] The best fashion show is definitely on the street. Always has been. Always will be. "

“In general, fashion is seen as something trivial that we can do without. The point is that fashion allows us to get through the realities of everyday life. I don't think it's dispensable. It would be like giving up civilization. […] The best fashion show is definitely on the street. It has always been and always will be. "

- Bill Cunningham

Cunningham died of complications from a stroke in June 2016.

estate

A collection of women's hats designed by Cunningham with the label "William J." from the 1950s was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art . Memoirs entitled Fashion Climbing , which were published as a book in 2018, were discovered in his estate . Other discoveries include two volumes of sketches, advertisements, and newspaper clippings on hats that have emerged over two decades. Together with other items from his possession, they were exhibited by the New York Historical Society from June 8 to September 9, 2018 under the title Celebrating Bill Cunningham .

Exhibitions

  • 2014: Bill Cunningham: Facades (by the New-York Historical Society)
  • 2018: Celebrating Bill Cunningham (by the New-York Historical Society)

Movies

  • 2011: Bill Cunningham New York , documentary; Screenplay, camera and director Richard Press . The film received the Chlotrudis Award and was nominated for 13 other film awards.
  • 2018: The Times of Bill Cunningham , documentary; Directed by Mark Bozek, narrator Sarah Jessica Parker

Honors

Web links

Commons : Bill Cunningham  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Jacob Bernstein: Bill Cunningham, Legendary Times Fashion Photographer, Dies at 87. In: New York Times. June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b c d Matthew Schneier: Bill Cunningham's Unseen Scrapbooks. In: New York Times. June 8, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018 .
  3. ^ Virginia Pope: Summer Fashions . In: New York Times . April 30, 1950, p. 177 ( nytimes.com ). In this article Bill Cunningham is referred to only as "William J." See the note in Bill Cunningham: Bill Cunningham on Bill Cunningham. June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Bill Cunningham: Bill Cunningham on Bill Cunningham. June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Laura Craik: Fashion, according to Bill Cunningham . In: The Times . March 14, 2012 ( thetimes.co.uk ).
  6. ^ Departmental Accessions . In: Annual Report of the Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art . No. 144 , 2014, p. 11-40 , p. 24 , JSTOR : 43489838 .
  7. ↑ Bill Cunningham: Facades. New-York Historical Society, accessed July 23, 2018 .
  8. ↑ [1] The New York Times, February 13, 2020, accessed March 13, 2020
  9. ↑ a b Bill Cunningham, legendary fashion photographer, dies aged 87. In: Guardian. Retrieved June 26, 2016 .
  10. ^ Living Landmarks Celebration. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 26, 2016 ; Retrieved June 26, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nylandmarks.org
personal data
SURNAME Cunningham, Bill
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cunningham, William Jay Jr.; Cunningham, Bill junior (nickname); William J.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American fashion photographer for the New York Times
DATE OF BIRTH March 13, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Boston , Massachusetts , United States
DATE OF DEATH June 25, 2016
Place of death Manhattan , New York , New York , United States