"The Camera's Muse: Photographic Portraits from the Collection of Robert M. Infarinato" - 40 black-and-white portraits, many by acclaimed photographers including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Arnold Newman, Ansel Adams, Alfred Eisenstaedt and Ruth Bernhard - is on view starting Nov. 1 at the Mitchell Gallery at St. John's College.
An interpretative reading, opening reception and family program will be held Nov. 1, beginning at 2:30 p.m. with an exhibit related presentation by Annapolis actor, writer and musician Tim King and musician John Starr. From 3:30 to 5 p.m., art educator Lucinda Edinberg and collector Robert Infarinato will co lead a tour of the exhibit, which will be followed by a hands on workshop.
Infarinato began collecting photographic portraits in 1984. His personal collection now consists of some 200 portraits and includes many of well-known artists such as Duke Ellington, Pablo Picasso, Carl Sandburg, Georgia O'Keefe and Alberto Giacometti.
His collection includes portraits that capture well-known artists in private moments. For instance, Infarinato describes one of his numerous jazz portraits: "Duke Ellington is seated on a piano bench in his dressing room, looking away from the piano and music. There's a closet full of suits, his desk is covered with his personal effects, a tie hanging down a lamp, and things are all over the place. This is his space. He is taking a moment to smile for someone who is in his dressing room. He's all about the music ...
He'd take a piece of new music on to the stage and say, 'OK let's play it.' This image evokes him and his world."
Another photo, of Alberto Giacometti taken by his good friend Henri Cartier-Bresson, shows a gallery space. "There are two statues of human figures: the one on the left is bent. The one on the right in the back is totally erect. Giacometti is walking between them, carrying another statue.
He is bent over, with a cigarette in his mouth, in a similar stance to the statue on the left. This is a man in his milieu. He is not working on a sculpture. He is a sculpture."
When describing his collection Infarinato says, "These are 'situational photos' ... I look for something that reflects some aspect of the person, more than a headshot. I look for context. It doesn't matter if the person is famous or not famous. The person in the photo may be unknown and the photographer may be a great. Or perhaps the image itself is well-known and the subject is not recognized, and may never be seen again. In the fabric of life the subject wouldn't stand out, but as a portrait it does."
The exhibit is on view through Dec. 17.
An interpretative reading, opening reception and family program will be held Nov. 1, beginning at 2:30 p.m. with an exhibit related presentation by Annapolis actor, writer and musician Tim King and musician John Starr. From 3:30 to 5 p.m., art educator Lucinda Edinberg and collector Robert Infarinato will co lead a tour of the exhibit, which will be followed by a hands on workshop.
Infarinato began collecting photographic portraits in 1984. His personal collection now consists of some 200 portraits and includes many of well-known artists such as Duke Ellington, Pablo Picasso, Carl Sandburg, Georgia O'Keefe and Alberto Giacometti.
His collection includes portraits that capture well-known artists in private moments. For instance, Infarinato describes one of his numerous jazz portraits: "Duke Ellington is seated on a piano bench in his dressing room, looking away from the piano and music. There's a closet full of suits, his desk is covered with his personal effects, a tie hanging down a lamp, and things are all over the place. This is his space. He is taking a moment to smile for someone who is in his dressing room. He's all about the music ...
He'd take a piece of new music on to the stage and say, 'OK let's play it.' This image evokes him and his world."
Another photo, of Alberto Giacometti taken by his good friend Henri Cartier-Bresson, shows a gallery space. "There are two statues of human figures: the one on the left is bent. The one on the right in the back is totally erect. Giacometti is walking between them, carrying another statue.
He is bent over, with a cigarette in his mouth, in a similar stance to the statue on the left. This is a man in his milieu. He is not working on a sculpture. He is a sculpture."
When describing his collection Infarinato says, "These are 'situational photos' ... I look for something that reflects some aspect of the person, more than a headshot. I look for context. It doesn't matter if the person is famous or not famous. The person in the photo may be unknown and the photographer may be a great. Or perhaps the image itself is well-known and the subject is not recognized, and may never be seen again. In the fabric of life the subject wouldn't stand out, but as a portrait it does."
The exhibit is on view through Dec. 17.
