Masters of Photography - Edward Steichen

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Widely regarded as the most influential photographer of the 20th century, he was born Eduard Jean Steichen in Luxenberg 1879. He worked in every aspect of the art fashion, industrial, nature, combat, portrait and tabletop photography. As the leading curator of the New York Museum of Modern Art he created the famous "Family of Man" photography exposition in 1955. In every branch photography up to which he laid his hand he became a master. His potraits of Gershwin, Garbo, Eugene O'Neill, Marlene Dietrich, Chaplin and George M Cohan are the definitive images by which we remember those celebrated artists. His photomurals of dams, bridges and huge buildings astonished audiences when they were screen for the first shown. In the 1920's and 30's he was the best known and most expensive commercial advertising photographer in New York City. A pioneer an aerial photography, during War War Two he was in charge of Naval combat camera crews. At age of 86 he reflected on his long life and and many achievements. "Photography" he said "is both ridiculously easy and impossibly difficult."