Harold Feinstein

Harold Martin Feinstein (April 17, 1931 – June 20, 2015) was an American photographer.^[1][2]

Biography

Feinstein was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1931. At the age of 15 he began to practice photography. He joined the Photo League where he received his education in the field. By 19 he had his work purchased by Edward Steichen for the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.^[3] Feinstein had his first exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1954 and at the Museum of Modern Art in 1957.^[4]

In his early years, Feinstein collaborated closely with W. Eugene Smith, for whom he did the extensive layout of Smith's famous "Pittsburgh Essay." Smith said of Feinstein's work, "He is one of the very few photographers I have known, or have been influenced by, with the ability to reveal the familiar to me in a beautifully new, in a strong and honest way."^[5]

His career spanned the greater part of the twentieth century, from his most notable work documenting Coney Island, New York, to his more recent color photographs of flowers and seashells. His portfolios cover an expansive range of subject matter beyond these, including his photo essays from the Korean War, documentary street work, nudes, landscapes, and still life.^[6] His portfolios, photo essays, and articles have been published in Life, Aperture, Audubon, Connoisseur, L'Illustriazione, and Popular Photography.

Feinstein is considered^[7] part of the New York school of photography, working from the 1930s to 1960s when photographers captured 20th century New York City during a period of turbulent change.^[8]

Publications

• One Hundred Flowers. Boston: Little, Brown, 2000. ISBN 9780821226650.
• Foliage. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. ISBN 9780821227398.
• The Infinite Rose. Boston: Bulfinch, 2004. ISBN 9780821228753.
• The Infinite Tulip. Boston: Bulfinch, 2004. ISBN 9780821228746
• One Hundred Seashells. New York: Bulfinch, 2005. ISBN 9780821262061.
• Orchidelirium. New York: Bulfinch, 2006. ISBN 9780821262054.
• One Hundred Butterflies. New York: Little, Brown, 2009. ISBN 9780316033633.
• Harold Feinstein: A Retrospective. Portland, OR: Nazraeli, 2012. ISBN 9781590053690.
• Saying Yes. Portland, OR: Blue Sky Books, 2016.

Collections

Feistein's work is held in the following permanent collections:

• Museum of Modern Art
• International Center of Photography
• The Jewish Museum
• George Eastman House
• Museum of Photographic Arts
• Museum of the City of New York

References

External links

• Official website
• Harold Feinstein | Panopticon Gallery
• Heart of the Matter: Harold Feinstein, Photographs 1946-2011