Arnold Newman was one of the most productive, creative and successful portrait photographers of the twentieth century.

For more than sixty years Newman was recognized by regular publication in the most influential magazines of the day, major solo exhibitions and appearances in many of the world’s most prestigious photography collections.

This landmark publication – the first monograph to be published after Newman’s death in 2006 – is packed with iconic images and includes a preface by Todd Brandow and short biographies of Newman’s sitters by Corinne Currat.

More than 200 mainly black-and-white photographs, including dozens never before seen in book form, showcase the photographer’s remarkable talent. Famous sitters range from painters, writers and musicians to businessmen, bankers and leaders of the industry, and include Truman Capote, Marc Chagall, 
J. F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky and Andy Warhol. Individual and group portraits are represented in the book, as well as abstracts, landscapes, architectural 
details and cityscapes.

Two essays by William A. Ewing shed light on Newman’s growing practice; Arthur Ollman provides an informative and entertaining look back at an old friend, and David Coleman focuses on an important national commission undertaken by the photographer.

Piet Mondrian behind his easel, Igor Stravinsky at his piano, Max Ernst sitting smoking on his throne-like chair: the photographs of Arnold Newman (1918-2006) are classics of portraiture. His subtle arrangements constituted the foundations of “environmental portraiture.” His photographs integrate the respective artist’s characteristic equipment and surroundings, thus indicating his or her field of activity. The enormous fame of Newman’s portraits can be ascribed to their daring compositions and sometimes astounding spatial structures. The photographer’s beginnings, however, were none too promising. During the Great Depression, Newman had to abandon his art studies for financial reasons. Between 1938 and 1942 he concentrated on socio-documentary photography in the ghettos of West Palm Beach, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. One might think that being forced to earn his living in a photography studio would have stifled his artistic potential: Newman portrayed up to 70 clients a day. Yet he still succeeded in developing a very personal touch and establishing himself in the New York art scene of the early 1940s. His subjects included Marcel Duchamp, Marc Chagall, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Alexander Calder among many others. With his unmistakable style, Newman became the star photographer of artists, writers, and musicians. This new edition, which includes recent work and an updated biography, provides a sweeping overview of Newman’s illustrious career.