“Astonish me” was the demand made by the legendary Creative Director Alexey Brodovitch on his students, which included many of the most influential photographers, art directors, and musicians of the 20th century, including: Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Hiro, Art Kane, Arnold Newman, Louis Faurer, Diane Arbus, Henry Wolf, Mark Shaw, and Ben Somoroff—to name only a few.
INVITATION
SPECIAL EVENT / Berlin Fashion Week
Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 6-8 pm
Location: Galerie Buchkunst Berlin, Oranienburger Str. 27, 10117 Berlin
A talk by photographer Michael Somoroff
Astonish me! Brodovitch/Somoroff
The invention of the modern fashion and magazine aesthetic
Please register in advance at presse@nadine-dinter.de.
This generation of photographers was taught to see photography as self-realization—a spiritual practice of creative authenticity. The group established originality as one of the hallmarks of masterful art. Their approach to photography and fashion editorial was the guiding philosophy from which many of the most important cultural innovations resulted in American design, photography, and the art world in New York. It is a philosophy that remains foundational even today, still piloting the contemporary language of imagery.
Join us for a fascinating evening of stories as remembered and told by the celebrated photographer and director Michael Somoroff. He was there—now you can be too. Take a trip back to the roots of modern magazine photography and contemporary fashion editorial. You’ll be astonished!
Michael Somoroff is a communication strategist, multimedia artist, director, photographer, and teacher. Since 1980, he has directed projects, created successful communication concepts, given comment and made critically acclaimed content for Fortune 500 corporations, advertising agencies, magazines, media companies, museums and cultural institutions around the world. He has collaborated at educational and cultural institutions and is currently an artist in residence at the Wyss Translational Center in association with the University of Zurich and ETH, Zurich. As a teacher and a cultural commentator, he has partnered with the State University of New York, Stony Brook, the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Rothko Chapel, Houston, Texas, the International Center of Photography, New York City, the School of Visual Arts, New York City and the Jung Center, Houston, Texas. He is also the director of the Somoroff Archive consisting of historic photography, editorial content and advertising produced in New York City between 1940 through the turn of the millennium.
Somoroff ’s work can be found in museums, art fairs, and exhibitions around the world. He is also the author of five books. Journalist Elisabeth Bard referred to his creative approach in the New York Times as “Madison Avenue meets the Italian Renaissance.”
In the international advertising industry, he is recognized as one of the top commercial directors in the world, regularly contributing award-winning films and photography for companies seeking to enhance their brand identity and grow sales. He is the first artist to be exhibited directly on Piazza St. Marco, in Venice – on the occasion of the Venice Biennale 2011. He is internationally represented in many perminant collections including: the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, the Hirshorn Museum, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC, the International Center of Photography, New York City and Museo Correr, Venice, Italy.
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BUCHKUNST BERLIN GALLERY
FROM THE HEART OF THE CITY
THOMAS HOEPKER
MICHAEL WOLF
STEPHANÉ DUROY
RENÉ GROEBLI
YASUHIRO OGAWA
ROGER BALLEN
Exhibition period: January 18th – February 22nd, 2025
Address: Oranienburger Str. 27, 10117 Berlin
Opening hours: Thurs – Sat, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Contact: +49.(0)30.218 025 40, info@buchkunst-berlin.de
