Black Hippie with Blond Afro, Washington Square Park - Henri Ghent Black Curator

In 1969, weekends at Bethesda Fountain were a gathering place for the radical, glamorous, and hip people of the time. Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin were regular speakers there. Portrait of a "Black Hippie with Blond Afro" is another quintessential image that sums up the joyful era of peace and love. Although the image was taken 54 years ago, it looks very contemporary. It's a portrait of a woman, yet it's an abstraction of shape and color. Mitchell Funk's take on street photography demonstrates that grab shots do not have to look like snapshots. Funk's principles achievement is that he retools traditional photojournalism of the street to embody the compositional exactitude of the studio. His images are graphic, well-composed and about precise design as much as about subject. In this regard, Funk distinguishes himself from other practitioners of the genre. Later in his career, Mitchell would minimize the narrative and let the color of color photography be the protagonist. In 1970, photography was just marginally considered to be art. Color Photography was not even part of the art conversation. Participating in the first Color Photography show at a major museum was trailblazing and historically important. This color photograph represents a standard in the canon of photography history. Additionally, the show was assembled by a historically important black curator.
Signed dated and numbered lower right recto Edition 2/15 Unframed. Printed later. Other sizes are available. Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper
Exhibited: Images en Couleur, Brooklyn Museum, 1970. ( This was first major museum exhibition of color photography, Curated by Henri Ghent one of the first Black Museum Curators ) Published: Popular Photography, Vivid Vision of Mitchell Funk, December 1970
Mitchell Funk is a pioneer of " Color Photography". In 1970 he participated in one the first " Color Photography" shows at a major museum. Brooklyn Museum, show "Images en Couleur" . 1971 Included he was included in the visionary book "Frontiers of Photography" Time Life, Color ! American Photography Transformed. Amon Carter Museum . He has had more than 50 Photography Magazine Covers and has had covers on Newsweek and Life Magazine, Fortune etc.
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