Arnold Newman's Incredible Artist Portraits (25 photos)

Pablo Picasso, Spanish Painter and Sculptor, 1954

“We do not take pictures with our cameras, but with our hearts and minds," so said Arnold Newman, one of the world's best-known and most admired photographers to have ever lived. Known for his "environmental portraits" of artists and politicians, he captured the essence of his subjects by showing them in their natural surroundings.

As he said, "I didn't just want to make a photograph with some things in the background. The surroundings had to add to the composition and the understanding of the person. No matter who the subject was, it had to be an interesting photograph. Just to simply do a portrait of a famous person doesn't mean a thing."

Newman was a master at composition and was meticulous about his work. He even used a large-format camera and tripod to ensure that every detail of a scene was recorded. His signature image, the one most will remember him by, is the last one in this post. It's a beautiful, black and white portrait of Russian Composer Igor Stravinsky seated at a grand piano. Look closely and you'll notice that the piano was strategically silhouetted against a blank wall, creating an illusion that the lid is an abstract musical note.

Max Ernst, German Painter and Sculptor, 1942

Marc Chagall, Russian/French Painter, 1942

Isamu Noguchi, Japanese American Artist and Landscape Architect, 1947

Man Ray, American Surrealist Painter, 1948

Josef Albers, German-American Painter, 1948

Jackson Pollock, American Painter, 1949

Jean Arp, German-French Painter and Sculptor, 1949

Salvador Dali, Spanish Surrealist Painter, 1951

Jean Dubuffet, French Painter and Sculptor, 1956

Milton Avery, American Modern Painter, 1961

Marcel Duchamp, French Surrealist Painter, 1966

Frank Stella, American Painter, 1967

Claes Oldenburg, Swedish Sculptor, 1967

Leonard Bernstein, American Conductor, 1968

Louise Nevelson, American Sculptor, 1972

Roy Lichtenstein, American Pop Artist, 1976

Joan Miró, Catalan/Spanish Painter and Sculptor, 1979

Arthur Miller, American Playwright, 1947

Ayn Rand, Russian-American Novelist, 1964

Ansel Adams, American Photographer, 1975

Truman Capote, American Novelist, 1977

I.M. Pei, Chinese Architect, 1967

Frank Lloyd Wright, America Architect, 1947

Igor Stravinsky, Russian Composer, Pianist and Conductor, 1946

Arnold Newman

Tags: Arnold, Artist, Incredible, Newman's, Portraits

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Comment by Andrew Somogyi on August 21, 2012 at 1:30pm: Thank you alice for locating and presenting these really e x t r a o r d i n a r y pictures by Arnold Newman. I met him in 1975 in Boston at a gallery that was presenting his pictures (he also brought his wife and daughter) and looked in at his studio in NYC 1977 to assist him but kindly he said the job he had was below my abilities. I've always related him to his Stravinsky and the Krupp direcor images. I am astonished to discover here the Bernstein, the IM Pei, the Adams and other purely brilliant images.

Comment by maria diego on August 25, 2010 at 8:01pm: quiero que me tome fotos!!

Comment by Untitled841 on August 20, 2010 at 9:20am: Great to see some of my favorites in a different image than I have seen before. Thanks for sharing your story Sam, I'm sure that my life and outlook would change if I experienced the same thing.

Comment by alice on August 20, 2010 at 9:18am: @Stephen Wow - great story, thanks for sharing.

Comment by Stephen M. Barrett on August 20, 2010 at 9:06am: I was fortunate enough to spend a day with Mr. Newman and about 15 fellow photographers in a gallery in Atlanta during the 90's. He walked in and set the rules for the day then proceeded to discuss his work and views
on life. He changed mine that day.

Comment by Kevin on August 19, 2010 at 12:24pm: There are some really important people pictured here. Guys that the younger generations need to be talking about and learning about.