Bruce Gilden
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Bruce Gilden (born 1946) is an American
street photographer Street photography is photography conducted for art or inquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within Public space, public places. It usually has the aim of capturing images at a decisive or poignant moment by caref ...
. He is best known for his candid close-up photographs of people on the streets of New York City, using a
flashgun A flash is a device used in photography that produces a brief burst of light (lasting around of a second) at a color temperature of about 5500 Kelvin, K to help illuminate a scene. The main purpose of a flash is to illuminate a dark scene. Ot ...
. He has had various books of his work published, has received the European Publishers Award for Photography and is a
Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...
. Gilden has been a member of
Magnum Photos Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in Paris, New York City, London and Tokyo. It was founded in 1947 in Paris by photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour (photographer), Davi ...
since 1998. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.


Life and work

Gilden was born in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York. While studying
sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
at
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...
, he saw
Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...
's film ''
Blowup ''Blowup'' (also styled ''Blow-Up'') is a 1966 Psychological thriller, psychological Mystery film, mystery film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, co-written by Antonioni, Tonino Guerra and Edward Bond and produced by Carlo Ponti. It is Antoni ...
'' in 1968. Influenced by the film, he purchased his first camera and began taking night classes in
photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
at the
School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Silas ...
of New York. Fascinated with people on the street and the idea of visual spontaneity, Gilden turned to a career in photography. His work is characterized by his use of
flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...
photography. He has worked in black and white most of his life, but he began shooting in color and digital when he was introduced to the Leica S camera as part of Magnum's Postcards From America project. Gilden has been a member of
Magnum Photos Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in Paris, New York City, London and Tokyo. It was founded in 1947 in Paris by photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour (photographer), Davi ...
since 1998. His first major project was of people at
Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
. He has photographed people on the streets of New York,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
's
yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...
mobsters, homeless people, prostitutes, and members of bike gangs between 1995 and 2000. According to Gilden, he was fascinated by the duality and double lives of the individuals he photographed. He has also photographed rural
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and
horseracing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
there, as well as
voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * West African Vodún, a religion practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...
rituals in
Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
. Gilden is the subject of the documentary film ''Misery Loves Company: The Life and Death of Bruce Gilden'' (2007).


Reception

Gilden has described the way he photographs as “flash in one hand and jumping at people”.
Sean O'Hagan Sean O'Hagan (born 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter who leads the avant-pop band the High Llamas, which he founded in 1992. He is also known for being one half of the songwriting duo (with Cathal Coughlan) in Microdisney and for his wor ...
, reviewing Gilden's ''Face'' (2015) in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' wrote that "his style seems to work against any intention to humanise his subjects." Contemporary American photographer
Joel Meyerowitz Joel Meyerowitz (born March 6, 1938) is an American street, portrait and landscape photographer. He began photographing in color in 1962 and was an early advocate of the use of color during a time when there was significant resistance to the ide ...
has this to say about Gilden: “He’s a fucking bully. I despise the work, I despise the attitude, he’s an aggressive bully and all the pictures look alike because he only has one idea—‘I’m gonna embarrass you, I’m going to humiliate you.’ I’m sorry, but no.”


Publications


Publications by Gilden

*''The Small Haiti Portfolio (Limited Edition)'', Helsinki, Finland, 1990. *''Facing New York'', Manchester, UK: Cornerhouse Publications, 1992. . Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the
Chrysler Museum of Art The Chrysler Museum of Art is an art museum on the border between downtown and the Ghent district of Norfolk, Virginia. The museum was founded in 1933 as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences. In 1971, automotive heir, Walter P. Chrysler Jr ...
, Norfolk, VA. *''Bleus'', Mission Photographique Transmanche (Cross Channel Photographic Mission) no. 13. Douchy-les-Mines, France: Centre Régional de la Photographie (CRP) (Regional Centre for Photography), Nord Pas-de-Calais, 1994. *''Haïti, Dreams and Nightmares''. Stockport, UK:
Dewi Lewis Dewi Lewis (born Denbigh, Wales, 10 March 1951) is a publisher and curator of photography. Career In 1975, Lewis was the founding director of the Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury Metropolitan Arts Association which operates The Met (arts centre), ...
and Paris: Marval, 1997. *''After the Off''. Stockport, UK: Dewi Lewis, 1999. . Photographs by Gilden, short story by
Dermot Healy Dermot Healy (9 November 1947 – 29 June 2014) was an Irish novelist, playwright, poet and short story writer. A member of Aosdána, Healy was also part of its governing body, the Toscaireacht. Born in Finea, County Westmeath, he live ...
. *''Ciganos''. Lisbon, Portugal: Centro Portuguès de Fotografia, 1999. *''Haiti''. Stockport, UK: Dewi Lewis and Paris: Marval, 1999. . *''Go''. London: Trebruk and New York:
Magnum Photos Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in Paris, New York City, London and Tokyo. It was founded in 1947 in Paris by photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour (photographer), Davi ...
, 2000. . *''Coney Island''. London: Trebruk, 2002. . *''A Beautiful Catastrophe''. Brooklyn, NY: Powerhouse, 2005. . *''Fashion Magazine.'' Paris: Magnum Photos, 2006. . With text contributions by
Hedi Slimane Hedi Slimane (; born July 5, 1968) is a French photographer and couturier. From 2000 to 2007, he was the creative director for Dior Homme (the menswear line of Christian Dior). From 2012 to 2016, he was the creative director for Yves Saint La ...
,
Viktor & Rolf Viktor & Rolf is a Dutch avant-garde luxury fashion house founded in 1993 by Viktor Horsting (born 1969, Geldrop) and Rolf Snoeren (born 1969, Dongen). For more than twenty years, Viktor & Rolf have sought to challenge preconceptions of fashion an ...
,
Azzedine Alaïa Azzedine Alaïa (; , ; 26 February 1935 – 18 November 2017) was a Tunisian couturier and shoe designer. He became globally known particularly beginning in the 1980s for his women's dresses and he would dress numerous celebrities throughout his ...
,
Ingrid Sischy Ingrid Barbara Sischy (; March 2, 1952 – July 24, 2015) was a South African-born American writer and editor who specialized in covering art, photography, and fashion. She rose to prominence as the editor of ''Artforum'' from 1979 to 1988, and ...
,
Bob Colacello Bob Colacello (born May 8, 1947) is an American writer. He began his career writing for ''The'' ''Village Voice'' before becoming an editor for pop artist Andy Warhol's ''Interview'' magazine from 1970 to 1983. His roles at ''Interview'' included ...
and Francesco Vezzoli. In English and French. *''Bruce Gilden''. Stern Portfolio No.64. Krefeld, Germany: teNeues, 2011. . *''Foreclosures''. London: Browns, 2013. . Available in standard edition (edition of 400) and slipcase edition (edition of 100). *''A Complete Examination of Middlesex''. 2013. London: Archive of Modern Conflict. . *''Bruce Gilden''. Photofile series. London:
Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...
, 2014. . *''Bruce Gilden.'' Photo Poche series. Arles, France: Actes Sud, 2014. . Preface by Hans-Michael Koetzle. French-language version. *''Moscow Terminus.'' New York: Dashwood Books, 2014. Edition of 1000 copies. *''Face.'' Stockport, UK: Dewi Lewis, 2015. . With a text by Chris Klatell. *''Hey Mister, Throw me Some Beads!.'' Heidelberg, Germany: Kehrer, 2015. . *''Un Nouveau Regard Sur La Mobilité Urbaine.'' Paris: La Martinière and RATP, 2015. . *''Syracuse, 1981.'' Tokyo: Super Labo, 2018. Edition of 1000 copies. *''Only God Can Judge Me.'' London: Browns, 2018. . Edition of 700 copies. *''Palermo Gilden.'' Palermo, Sicily: 89books, 2020. Edition of 89 copies. . *''Black Country.'' Setanta, 2022. *''The Circuit.'' Dewi Lewis, 2022. . *''One Night Only.'' Setanta, 2023. . *''Made in the USA.'' Super Labo, 2024.


Publications with contributions by Gilden

*''Magnum Stories.'' London: Phaidon, 2004. . Edited by Chris Boot. *''Mirror Mirror: Portugal as seen by Magnum Photographers.'' Göttingen:
Steidl Steidl is a German-language publisher based in Göttingen, Germany. Founded in 1968 by Gerhard Steidl, it publishes photobooks. Overview The company was started by Gerhard Steidl.Bill Kouwenhoven, "Off to see the wizard", ''British Journa ...
, 2005. . Photographs by
Bruno Barbey Bruno Barbey (13 February 1941 – 9 November 2020) was a Moroccan-born French photographer. Throughout his four-decade career he traveled across five continents, photographing many wars. Life and work Barbey was born in Morocco. His father was ...
,
Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (; 22 August 1908 – 3 August 2004) was a French artist and Humanist photography, humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 135 film, 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street ...
, Thomas Hoepker, Jean Gaumy, Gilden,
Josef Koudelka Josef Koudelka (born 10 January 1938) is a Czech-French photographer. He is a member of Magnum Photos and has won awards such as the Prix Nadar (1978), a Grand Prix National de la Photographie (1989), a Grand Prix Henri Cartier-Bresson (1991) ...
, Guy Le Querrec,
Susan Meiselas Susan Meiselas (born June 21, 1948) is an American documentary photographer. She has been associated with Magnum Photos since 1976 and been a full member since 1980. Currently she is the President of the Magnum Foundation. She is best known for ...
,
Inge Morath Ingeborg Hermine "Inge" Morath (; 27 May 1923 – 30 January 2002) was an Austrian photographer. In 1953, she joined the Magnum Photos Agency, founded by top photographers in Paris, and became a full photographer with the agency in 1955. Morat ...
,
Martin Parr Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in p ...
, Gilles Peress, Gueorgui Pinkhassov and Miguel Rio Branco. *''Coney Island.'' Paris: Trans Photographic, 2009. . Photographs by Johnny Miller and Baptiste Lignel. Text by Sophie Gilden and Bruce Gilden. *''
Street Photography Now ''Street Photography Now'' is a survey book of contemporary street photography, edited by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren (photographer), Stephen McLaren and published by Thames & Hudson in 2010. It includes work by 56 photographers. Blake Andr ...
.'' London: Thames & Hudson, 2010. . Edited by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren. *''Magnum Contact Sheets.'' London: Thames & Hudson, 2011. . *''Magnum Contact Sheets.'' Edited by Kristen Lubben. **''Magnum Contact Sheets.'' London: Thames & Hudson, 2011. . **''Magnum Contact Sheets.'' London: Thames & Hudson, 2014. . Compact edition. **''Magnum Contact Sheets: The Collector's Edition: Bruce Gilden, Yakuza, 1998.'' London: Thames & Hudson, 2011. .


Awards

* 1979: Artist's Fellowship,
New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...
, New York. * 1980: Photographer's Fellowship,
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...
.Bruce Gilden Press Packet
", Bruce Silversteine. Accessed 1 September 2014.
* 1984: Photographer's Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts. * 1984: Artist's Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York. * 1992: Photographer's Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts. * 1992: Artist's Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York.NYFA New York Foundation for the Arts: Directory of Artists’ Fellows 1985-2013
,
New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...
. Accessed 1 September 2014.
*1995: Villa Medicis Hors les Murs (an artist's fellowship), from
Institut Français The Institut Français (; French capitalization, Institut français; "French institute") is a French public industrial and commercial organization (EPIC). Started in 1907 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for promoting French, francophone as ...
. * 1996: European Publishers Award for Photography for ''Haiti''.Sibylle Fischer, "Haiti: Fantasies of bare life", ''Small Axe'' no 23 (vol. 11 no 2), June 2007, pp. 1–15 (see particularly pp. 1–9–12). PDF availabl
here
, Center for Humanities, City University of New York. Accessed 10 May 2014.
* 1999: Artist's Fellowship, from the
Japan Foundation The is a Japanese foundation that spreads Japanese culture around the world. Based in Tokyo, it was established in 1972 by an Act of the National Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture. I ...
, for ''Tokyo Extremes''. * 2000: Artist's Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York. * 2013:
Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
from the
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation is a private foundation formed in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Gr ...
.


Collections

Gilden's work is held in the following collections: *
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography The is an art museum concentrating on photography. As the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, it was founded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and is in Meguro-ku, a short walk from Ebisu station in southwest Tokyo. The museum also ...
, Tokyo, Japan. *
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
, London.


References


External links

*
Gilden profile at Magnum Photos
* * (video) * (video)
National Public Radio interview with Gilden
(audio) *
"In Your Face: An Interview with Bruce Gilden"
, ''GUP Magazine,'' 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilden, Bruce 1946 births Living people Magnum photographers Photography in Ireland Photography in Japan American street photographers 20th-century American photographers 21st-century American photographers