The Poet of Photography, Lillian Bassman

From the 1940s until the 1960s, Bassman worked as a fashion photographer for Junior Bazaar and later at Harper's Bazaar, where she promoted the careers of photographers such as Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, Louis Faurer and Arnold Newman. Under the guidance of the Russian emigrant Alexey Brodovitch, she began to photograph her model subjects primarily in black and white. Her work was published for the most part in Harper's Bazaar, between 1950-1965.

During the 60's the supermodel arrived and the clothes of the time had changed and her work no longer compelled her. In the 70's Bassman destroyed most of her early work and did not work for 20 years. In 1991 a photo historian Martin Harrison discovered the negatives in storage and pushed Bassman to work again. Immediately she was exhibiting in galleries and shooting campaigns for Neiman Marcus and the New York Times Magazine.

The title of her new book and exhibitions around the world is titled, "Lillian Bassman: Women." Featuring pictures that have not been seen for decades and literally immortalized an era. Her exhibit is on display at the Peter Fetterman Gallery in Santa Monica thru March 7, 2010.

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