Dianora Niccolini

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Dianora Niccolini (born October 1936 in Florence , Italy) is an Italian-American photographer based in the USA . She is regarded as a female pioneer in the field of the male nude genre .

biography

Dianora Niccolini was born in Florence to an American mother and a father from an old Florentine family. As a toddler she experienced the horrors of Mussolini fascism up close. After the Second World War, Dianora was nine years old, her mother emigrated and took her to the United States of America .

At the age of 18, Dianora moved to New York City and began studying ballet , then art . An encounter with the photographer Weegee awoke her passion for photography . She took every opportunity to portray friends and acquaintances. Soon she got a job as a medical photographer in a hospital. According to her own statement, her predilection for the beauty of the male body resulted from this period.

In 1973 Niccolini began the targeted production of artistic photographs. Her first exhibition in 1974 showed aesthetic studies of women's bodies. Although she was fascinated by the success of the first public presentation, she and those around her clearly recognized that her true talent was more in the field of male nudes. At that time, however, this subject was clearly occupied internationally by gay photo artists and was actually completely taboo for women.

Finally, in the winter of 1975, the Third Eye Gallery in NYC hosted Niccolini's very first solo exhibition on man . It was a presentation of close-ups of various figures and showed, among other things, some studies of their declared favorite model, an Afro-American bodybuilder.

Fortunately, the New York Times' renowned art critic Gene Thornton also attended the exhibition , and on December 7, 1975, the powerful newspaper printed an extremely euphoric review of Niccolini's work. That was the breakthrough.

In 1979, Dianora Niccolini was elected chairman of the Professional Women Photographers (PWP) association. She served as president from 1979 to 1984. Under her aegis, this organization became a well-known association of female photographers, endowed with the social acceptance they deserve and high international recognition.

Since spring 2005, Dianora Niccolini and her colleague Henning von Berg have been cooperating with the international sports agency Mega Muscle Productions in California.

Her work has been printed in countless magazines and anthologies and shown in many exhibitions. The photographer taught photography at the New York Institute of Technology for many years.

In retrospect, she is considered a female pioneer in the field of the male nude genre . Her formative style can be seen in the work of such important icons as Herb Ritts , Robert Mapplethorpe and many other photographers, who referred to Niccolini's influence by name.

Dianora Niccolini lives in New York City.

Books (excerpt)

  • Dianora Niccolini Women of Vision , Unicorn Publishing House, NYC, 1982.
  • Dianora Niccolini Men in Focus , Morgan & Morgan, NYC, 1983, ISBN 978-0871001917
  • David Leddick, Dianora Niccolini Big Fun with Billy , Universe / Rizzoli, 2001, ISBN 978-0789305909

Solo exhibitions

  • 1974 Double Exposure , 209 Photo Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1974 The Female Nude , Third Eye Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1974 The Female Nude , Top Of The Stairs Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1975 The Male Nude , Third Eye Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1976 The Mona Lisa Series , Third Eye Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1977 Pop PhotArt , Third Eye Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1978 Pop PhotArt , Y Arts Council, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1979 Monster Series , Floating Foundation of Photography, New York City, NY
  • 1981 The Male Nude , Steve Bush Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1981 Photo Alterations , West Broadway Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1981 In Loving Memory , Photographics Unlimited Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1981 Emergency , The Camera Club, New York City, NY
  • 1982 Men Watching , West Broadway Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1983 Men In Focus , Overseas Press Club, New York City, NY
  • 1998 The Male Nude , Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 2001 Billy , Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 2003 Unmasking The Male , The Think Liquid Gallery, New York City, NY

Group exhibitions

  • 1974 International Photo Optical Show, Washington / DC
  • 1974 International Photo Optical Show, Chicago, IL
  • 1974 Women Photographers of NY , The Interchurch Center, New York City, NY
  • 1974 A Summer Exhibit Of Photos , Women's Interart Center, New York City, NY
  • 1975 Women Photographers of NY , The Camera Club Of NY, New York City, NY
  • 1975 Women Photographers of NY , South Street Seaport Museum, New York City, NY
  • 1975 Women Photographers of NY , Donnell Library, New York City, NY
  • 1975 Women Photographers of NY , Manufacturers Hanover Trust, New York City, NY
  • 1975 Women Photographers of NY , Union Carbide Building, New York City, NY
  • 1975 Breadth Of Vision , Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City, NY
  • 1975 There Is No Female Camera , Neikrug Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1976 New York Eyes , The Third Eye Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1976 Italian American Artists , The Italian Consulate, New York City, NY
  • 1976 First Annual Spring Show , International Center of Photography , New York City, NY
  • 1976 Women Photograph Men , International Center of Photography, New York City, NY
  • 1976 Influx , The Third Eye Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1976 Who's Who In Photography , The Third Eye Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1976 Photography Auction To Refloat The Floating Foundation Of Photography , Witkin Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1977 Sectional Images , Women's Interart Center, New York City, NY
  • 1977 Volunteer Service Photographers , Union Carbide Building, New York City, NY
  • 1977 Rated X , Neikrug Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1977 Group Show , Images Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1978 The Male Nude , Marcuse Pfeiffer Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1978 Volonteer Service Photographers , The French Embassy, ​​New York City, NY
  • 1979 Foods And Other Pleasures , The Floating Foundation of Photography, New York City, NY
  • 1979 Rated X , Neikrug Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1980 International Group Exhibition , Fotoforum, Prague, Czechoslovakia
  • 1980 Rated X , Neikrug Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1981 Photofusion , Pratt University, New York City, NY
  • 1981 Group Show , MIT Creative Photography Gallery, Massachusetts
  • 1982 Views By Women Artists , 80 Street Center, New York City, NY
  • 1983 Male Nudes , Photo Gallery, South Wales, UK
  • 1990 The Nude , Silver Image Gallery, Seattle, WA
  • 1991 True Love And Other Stories , Stendhal Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1992 Visual Individualists United , Jacob Javitz Federal Building, New York City, NY
  • 1994 The Allan Chasanoff Photographic Collection , Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
  • 1997 The Body , The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada
  • 1997 The Male Nude , The Curcio Spector Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1997 Male Nude (Mini Retrospective) , Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 1998 First International Biennial , Trevi Flash Art Museum, Trevi, Italy
  • 1999 The Nude , Culturgest Museum of Fine Art, Portugal
  • 2002 Photography Only , The Fraser Gallery, Washington, DC
  • 2006 Classic Beauty , Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 2007 Exposition d'Homme a Homme , Galerie David Guiraud, Paris, France
  • 2007-08 Permanent Collection , Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, Florida, USA

Collections (excerpt)

  • The International Center of Photography (ICP), New York City, NY
  • The Erie Art Center, PA
  • The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC
  • The Alternative Museum, New York City, NY
  • The Museum of Fine Arts, The Allan Chasanoff Photographic Collection, Houston, TX
  • The Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery, New York City, NY
  • Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, FL
  • The Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL
  • The Kinsey Institute (Indiana University), Bloomington, Indiana
  • The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL
  • The Harn Museum, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
  • The Library of Congress, Washington DC
  • The Carlos Museum at Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Anthologies

  • Artur Goldsmith History Of The Nude In Photography , Ridge Press, 1975
  • D. Hayes Women Photograph Men , Wm Morrow, 1977
  • McGraw Hill Women See Men , 1977
  • Publisher New American Nudes , Morgan & Morgan, 1981
  • Vermont The Male Nude in Photography , Crossroad Press, 1981
  • Catalog Women Of Vision , Morgan & Morgan, 1982
  • Catalog Das Aktfoto , Münchner Stadtmuseum, 1982
  • Peter Weiermair Women See Men , Frankfurter Kunstverein / Edition Stemmle, Frankfurt, 1985/1995, ISBN 978-3905514667
  • Emmanuel Cooper Fully Exposed , Routledge Publication, 1989/1995, ISBN 978-0415032797
  • William A. Ewing The Body - Photographs of the Human Form , Chronicle Books, 1994, ISBN 978-0811807623
  • Allan Chasanoff Tradition And The Unpredictable , Distributed Art Pub Inc, 1994, ISBN 978-0890900598
  • Peter Weiermair Male Nudes By Women , Edition Stemmle, Frankfurt, 1995, ISBN 978-3905514674
  • Stewart Tabori and Chang Eros , 1996
  • Eikoh Hosoe : Kobe Aid Fund World Photo , 1996
  • David Leddick The Male Nude , Taschen Verlag, Cologne, 1998, ISBN 978-3822857618
  • Catalog 1st Int. Biennial of Contemporary Art , Trevi, 1998
  • Michelle Olley Adonis - Masterpieces of Erotic Male Photography , Thunder Mouth Press, London, 1999, ISBN 978-1560252207
  • Michelle Olley Homme , Edition Skylight, Carlton, 2000, ISBN 978-3283003685
  • David Leddick Naked Men, Too - Liberating the Male Nude 1950-2000 , Universe Publishing, New York, 2000, ISBN 978-0789303967
  • Phil Braham Exposed - 90 of the World's Greatest Photographers , Thunders Mouth Press, New York, 2000, ISBN 978-1560253013
  • David Leddick Male Nude Now , Universe Publishing, New York, 2001, ISBN 978-0789306357
  • Volker Janssen American Black Beauty, Vol.2 , Janssen Publishers, Capetown, 2001, ISBN 978-0958431446
  • Women By Women catalog , Prestel Publishers, 2004
  • Emmanuel Cooper Male Bodies - A Photographic History Of The Nude , Prestel Publishers, 2004, ISBN 978-3791330549
  • David Leddick The Male Nude , Taschen Verlag, Cologne, 2005, ISBN 978-3822841051
  • Like Sand From Orchid's Lips catalog , TCB Cafe Publishing & Media, 2006
  • Barbara J. Love Feminists Who Changed America - 1963-1975 , University of Illinois Press, Chicago, 2006
  • James Spada The Romantic Male Nude , Abrams Publishers, New York, 2007, ISBN 978-0810993716
  • Pierre Borhan Man To Man , The Vendome Press, Paris, 2007, ISBN 978-0865651869
  • Pierre Borhan Men For Men , Brandstaetter Verlag, Vienna, 2007, ISBN 978-3850330817

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Niccolini, Dianora
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American photographer
DATE OF BIRTH October 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH Florence