Friday, 17 July 2009

Julius Shulman R.I.P

Julius Shulman, 1910-2009; iconic architectural photographer passed away Wed night at his home in LA.

Legendary photographer Julius Shulman, whose iconic images defined the architecture of the modernist era, has died at the age of 98.
A resident of Los Angeles since 1920, Julius Shulman documented modernist architecture in Southern California and across the globe for nearly eight decades. His images of Pierre Koenig's Case Study House No. 22 (1960) in Los Angeles and Richard J. Neutra's Kaufmann House (1947) in Palm Springs are among the most recognisable and iconic architectural photographs of the 20th century. Shulman's interest in photography developed into a career when he photographed Neutra's Kun Residence in Los Angeles with his Kodak Vestpocket camera in 1936. Neutra admired young Shulman's images and continued to commission his work. Other leading architects of the time followed suit, as did hundreds of magazines, newspapers, and book publishers. Shulman's numerous awards include the Architectural Photography Medal from the American Institute of Architects (1969), a lifetime achievement award from the International Center of Photography in New York (1998), and honorary doctorates from various academic institutions. He died on July 15 and is survived by his daughter, Judy McKee, and grandson, Timothy, both of Santa Barbara.

When I first met Julius at his home he was grumpy, kind and generous. His memory was sharp and he sent all his correspondence to me by fax. His home was opened to everyone and his fans across the world came to visit him. He taught me to take in all of my surroundings and his love for nature was contagious. He held the knowledge told the stories about the architects we admire and still refer to today. He created the visual memory of Modernism. 
Thank you Julius Shulman! You will never be forgotten. 









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