The Eye Photography: World Photography Art History, Latest News and Photography Events

Archives - August 25, 2022 The Loewentheil Collection is announcing its first virtual exhibition of selections from the world’s largest and finest collection of early photography of China. “Seizing Shadows: Rare Photographs by late Qing Dynasty Masters,” a virtual exhibition in English and Chinese, is the first exhibition devoted to photographs by the first Chinese photographers. The photographs were taken from the 1860s to 1903. The virtual exhibition is filled…

Archives - August 25, 2022 "In this time of great social reckoning, when more and more people recognize the deep impacts of structural racism, economic injustice, and mass incarceration, Merts’s body of work is both spotlight and lightning rod. His illuminating focus and dedication to making deeply personal and graciously compassionate images—of a creative practice that most people will never see or participate in—provides a window into a particular aspect…

Jay Maisel left us this weekend at the age of 95. One of the last icons of Photography, a master of color. In early 2025, he and Jean-Jacques Naudet spoke to each other after years apart. The result was a Special Edition put together entirely by Jay, in which he speaks in his own words. Here it is again, on this day dedicated to him. Also, to celebrate his 94th…

What constitutes a favorite is that after seeing it every day for years, it doesn’t lose its power. I know some photographers who are always quite delighted with everything they do. I wish I was like that, but I find a great many of my images lose their power or at least my interest at some later date. Either I’m not interested in the subject anymore or I’m just no…

People are always referring to this or that “golden age.” I was lucky to start photography in a time that was often called the “Golden Age of Jazz.” I got to see and photograph Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and others you’ll see in this collection. It was not only a golden age as far as the stars were concerned, it was a golden age…

JAY: I had never thought about having a child. My wife, L.A., thought otherwise. I of course fell in love with Amanda and started photographing her even before she was born. She is now a young woman who has wit, wisdom, and a wicked sense of humor. I stand in awe of her. She is amazing. She also hates when I compliment her so I’m getting great joy here. I…

For fifty years I lived in a unique building, the bank at 190 Bowery. In addition to an enormous amount of rooms and a decidedly decadent amount of space, it had 360° panoramic views of Manhattan. I never had to worry about having a camera with me, I had all my cameras with me. “I live here.” I never took it for granted when I came home from exotic locations;…

Haiti was one of the first times I traveled in a “foreign” country. I had always wanted to go there. It was mysterious. It was exotic. It had more artists per capita than any other country. It had great music and fantastic drumming and “Voodoo.” I was going to experience it all. Of course, I interacted very little with these things. I was swept along by the sheer energy of…

I went to Iran in 1971 to work on a book of the 2500th celebration of the formation of the Persian Empire. It was instant culture shock. I had never experienced heat (like this) before. On a less that 110°F day I saw a security guy sitting at his desk with a heater to mitigate the cold. Security was unbelievably tight. Everybody had to wear photo ID. That included people…

The first time I saw Paris… I didn't get to Europe until I was 32 years old. I had wanted to go for a long time. I had been photographing for nine years and had never been sent there. Business was good, but it never brought me to Europe. Finally, in 1963, I decided I had to go. I bought a 21-day excursion ticket. I stayed for four months. I…

I've photographed the earth from the air. The only things that looked like it belonged there are trees. Jay Maisel   If you want to see more images on this subject and many others, go to www.jaymaisel.com

Las Vegas – or as I think of it, Disney on Steroid – for adults has always been the kind of place that was a gas for three or four days. The whole place is unapologetically screaming, “This is Las Vegas and we’re bigger, better, and brighter than any other place!” I don’t gamble much, don’t drink at all, and I still have a great time in Vegas. But after…

Back in January 2025, on the occasion of Jay's birthday, we published the following article. Albert (Al) Normandin worked for Jay Maisel from 1982 to 1985 in the Bank Building at 190 The Bowery, NYC. Jay had his 94th birthday on January 18, 2025. Al Normandin had an idea, he writes : “I know he is not counting the years anymore and would much rather NOT be reminded. Instead of…

This is in my little corner of paradise that I envisioned this shoot, among unreal swimming pools, exceptional properties, and intimate hidden places of breathtaking beauty — like a preserved world, just as one would dream the earth could remain. Here, there are no billboards, no traffic lights, no unnecessary constraints… Only nature in all its power and elegance, setting the pace, with that salty breeze running through our hair…

Trees and stones form two complementary facets of the landscape: one living, breathing, changing with the seasons; the other mineral, silent, bearing witness to geological time. Trees connect the sky and the earth, harbour biodiversity and tell the story of climates and humankind. Stones, for their part, hold the deep memory of the earth—strata, fossils, mineral veins—and serve as foundations for human settlements. Together, they form a dialectic of permanence…