“Environmental Portrait ” photographer Arnold Newman’s archive has just been obtained by the University of Texas Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center.
Newman was known worldwide for his unique vision, photographing his famous subjects in their own environments. Some of his most famous works include beautiful portraits of Picasso, Harry Truman, and Lyndon Johnson. Newman recently passed away on June 6, 2006 at the age of 88.
The archive contains more than 2,000 prints including negatives, slides and color transparencies.
David Coleman, who is curator of photography at the Ransom Center, stated that “Newman is without question one of the celebrated masters of the photographic portraiture of the 20th century.” According to Coleman, Ransom officials had already begun negotiating with Newman to obtain the collection prior to his death.
The Arnold Newman Fellowship in Photography will be created to aid in scholarly research in the center’s photo collection. The Ransom Center will need to catalog Newman’s collection first before any of the works are placed on display. Until then, a beautiful exhibit is now in the works for Ransom’s website.