BETTI'S BEEHIVE: BILL CUNNINGHAM'S FACADES AND FASHION

NEW YORK IS LITTERED WITH MANY SPECIAL PLACES " JEWELS", THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY ON CENTRAL PARK WEST IS ONE OF THESE SPOTS THAT MANY LOCALS AND TOURISTS ARE NOT AWERE THEY EXIST. I FIND, THEY ALWAYS HAVE THE MOST INTERESTING EXHIBITS…. THIS PAST MONTH WAS A REPEAT OF AN EXHIBIT FROM THE 70'S. IT WAS ABOUT BILL CUNNINGHAM, A BRILLIANT PHOTOGRAPHER WITH A GIFTED EYE.

Jeffrey Slonim

"A fixture at New York society events and on the city streets in his cobalt-blue French workman’s jacket, Bill Cunningham is one of Manhattan’s most beloved characters. Over the years, The New York Times photographer and subject of Richard Press’s delightful 2010 documentary, Bill Cunningham New York, has become an object of fascination on a par with the A-listers he shoots"

“I’ve always been crazed about fashion, a nutcase. And I was mad about architecture,” Cunningham said in his remarks on the opening night of the exhibition, which happened to be his 85th birthday. “We would collect all these wonderful dresses in thrift shops and at street fairs. There is a picture of two 1860 taffeta dresses, pre–Civil War—we paid $20 apiece. No one wanted this stuff. A Courrèges I think was $2. The kids were into mixing up hippie stuff, and I was just crazed for all the high fashion.”
In each image Sherman, a successful portrait photographer in her own right, breathes personality into eras long forgotten. “You’re seeing Editta Sherman’s spirit,” Cunningham continued. “We were like crazy kids. We had the most fun.” While the pair were evicted from Carnegie Hall in 2010 when the studios were converted into rehearsal spaces, and Sherman died last year at the age of 101, the exhibition captures not only the eras of art and fashion pictured, but also the period in which the images were created. “People are hungry for his work,” said Valerie Paley, the curator of the exhibition. “And not just because he’s Bill Cunningham, but because the work is excellent. Many people feel that he defines society today with the pictures he takes, but in fact, his work is far more complex.”

WHAT THE HUFFINGTON POST JAMIE FELDMAN HAD TO SAY

From the start of Bill Cunningham's career in fashion as milliner to his current status as arguably the most famous street style photographer there is, he has truly evolved into somewhat of a style icon. Focusing his attention on what the person is wearing and not who the person is, he is a genuine sartorially driven artist. But long before bloggers ruled the Internet and social media played an integral role in major events like Fashion Week, the skilled photographer embarked on a journey to capture both the fashion and architectural histories of New York City.

From 1968 to 1976 Cunningham traveled to countless thrift stores and locations on his bicycle in pursuit of the perfect looks for the series. Hundreds of outfits and over 1,000 photographed locations later, the result was a breathtaking photo essay portraying New York in the early 1900s. While Cunningham photographed multiple models, the real star was his dear friend and muse, Editta Sherman -- also known as the "duchess of Carnegie Hall."

The exhibit of his photos, serves as an exciting look back in New York's history, while at the same time, "feels timeless."

NOT MY FAVORITE ARCHITECTURE, BUT LOVE THE INSOUCIANT LADDER AND MODEL

GRAFFITI WAS DEREGURE ON NEW YORK SUBWAYS IN THE 60'S ON THE WAY TO THE BROOKLYN BOTANICAL GARDENS

CAN YOU GUESS WHICH BUILDING THIS IS? ANSWER AT BOTTOM OF BLOG

LUNCH AT 21 WITH THE ICONIC JOCKEYS

MY FAVORITE BRIDGE IN CENTRAL PARK

GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

FORTUNY IS ALWAYS TIMELESS

Unknown artist. Bill Cunningham Photographing Models, New York County Court House, ca.1975. Gelatin silver photograph 11x14 in. Gift of Bill Cunningham, New-York Historical Society Library

Although by turns whimsical and bold, Cunningham’s project also was part of the larger cultural zeitgeist in New York City, during an era in which issues surrounding both the preservation and the problems of the urban landscape loomed large. The photographer donated 88 silver gelatin prints from the series to the New-York Historical Society in 1976, and now, almost four decades later, Cunningham’s work will be reconsidered in a show that will highlight the historical perspective the photographs suggest—not just of the distant past, but of the particular time in which they were created.