Berenice Abbott’s View
A Biography of the Prolific Photographer
The life and work of 20th Century photographer Berenice Abbott is the subject of a new biography by Julia Van Haaften. A Life in Photography follows the rise and fall—and rise again—of the prolific and iconic shooter. Born in Ohio, the young midwestern misfit longed for adventure. After a short stop in a local college, she bobbed her hair—then considered a profound act of rebellion—and fled to New York to study sculpture. She quickly fell in with Greenwich Village artists like Eugene O’Neill, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Man Ray.
Poor, and with absolutely nothing to lose, Abbott was just 21 when she moved to Paris in the 20s. She sought out other creatives like James Joyce and Jean Cocteau and soon became well-respected for her intimate portraits of her fellow artistic rebels.
A wild child, Abbott was known for her unlimited drinking, her uninhibited dancing, and her unconventional relationships. She had numerous love affairs with women and was not only the studio assistant to the great photographer Man Ray, but also named “the other woman” in his divorce case—it was a friendly gesture by the lesbian to help her mentor out of a legal jam.
While Abbott’s personal and romantic life was fascinating, it was her passion for visually documenting the architecture and urban design of New York City for which she’s best known. This biography covers many intimate details of her life and contains 92 stunning images of her arty acquaintances and Manhattan’s metamorphosis.
PROVOKR has gathered some of our favorite Berenice Abbott images below, plus a couple of portraits of the artist as a young woman by Man Ray and Walker Evans. Enjoy!
