Program

6 PM Book Signing
7:30 PM Screening of "Smash His Camera," followed by a Q&A

Tickets

General Admission $11
Seniors and Students $9
AFA Members, ICP Members, and children (12 and under) $7

For information on purchasing tickets, please contact Anthology Film Archives.

Event Info

The International Center of Photography and Anthology Film Archives are delighted to present an evening with legendary American paparazzo Ron Galella. The evening will include a screening of “Smash His Camera” (2010), the award-winning HBO film directed by acclaimed documentarian Leon Gast (“When We Were Kings”). The screening will be followed by a Q&A and book signing with Ron Galella.

Self-described “paparazzo superstar” Ron Galella, 85, is arguably the most famous and controversial celebrity photographer in history. In “Smash His Camera,” Gast reveals a man as fascinating as the many celebrities he pursued, including Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Marlon Brando, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis—the object of his most unique and obsessive attention. The phrase “Smash his camera!” is in fact an order issued by Onassis to her security team in the 1970s, when Galella pursued her with a determination so fierce it resulted in an epic legal battle, launching the ongoing debate over the privacy of public figures and culminating in a restraining order. Galella’s portraits of Jackie—most of which are now compiled in Galella’s book Jackie: My Obsession—are some of the most iconic and beautiful ever taken, and their relationship was described as “the most co-dependent celeb-paparazzi relationship ever.” “Smash His Camera” chronicles Galella’s singular career as a notorious guerilla photographer while offering a thoughtful examination of the nature of fame, the relationship between celebrities and their pursuers, and the delicate balance between privacy and freedom of the press over the past 30 years.

This event is part of the ongoing collaboration between Anthology and the International Center of Photography, which began in concert with Public, Private, Secret, the ICP Museum’s inaugural exhibition in its new home on the Bowery. The show explores the concept of privacy in today’s society and includes one of Galella’s most striking portraits of Onassis, “What Makes Jackie Run?”.

Bios

Widely regarded as the most famous and most controversial celebrity photographer in the world—Ron Galella has been dubbed “Paparazzo Extraordinaire” by Newsweek and “the Godfather of US paparazzi culture” by Time and Vanity Fair. Ron has endured two highly publicized court battles with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a broken jaw at the hands of Marlon Brando, and a serious beating by Richard Burton’s bodyguards before being jailed in Cuernavaca, Mexico. But ultimately, it is his passion for the fine art of photography, coupled with a dedicated do-it-yourself approach to his craft—few artists can claim his level of skill in making their own prints—that sees Ron's body of work exhibited at museums and galleries throughout the world. The Museum of Modern Art New York and San Francisco, the Tate Modern in London, and the Helmut Newton Foundation Museum of Photography in Berlin, among many others, all maintain collections of Galella’s iconic works. Ron's passion for photojournalism has also given rise to many highly acclaimed photo-art books, including Disco Years, which was honored as Best Photography Book of 2006 by The New York Times. Recently, Galella made the transition to moving film with “Smash His Camera,” a documentary of his life and career by Oscar-winning director Leon Gast (“When We Were Kings,” 1996). Premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, “Smash His Camera” received the Grand Jury Award for Directing in the US Documentary category. The film was also well-received at the 54th BFI London Film Festival prior to airing on the BBC throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. Tantamount to his recognition at home and in Northern Europe, the government of Basilicata graciously honored Ron—whose father, Vincenzo, was born in Muro Lucano—by making him an honorary citizen of the Italian region in 2009. Basilicata concurrently opened Ron Galella: Italian Icons, a traveling exhibit of over 70 of Ron’s photos, at Palazzo Lanfranchi’s Carlo Levi Hall in Matera. In conjunction with the opening, Ron launched his eighth book, Viva l’Italia!—a collection of over 225 images of Italian and Italian-American celebrities from Frank Sinatra to Sophia Loren. A native New Yorker now residing in Montville, New Jersey, Ron served as a United States Air Force photographer during the Korean conflict before attending the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, where he earned a degree in photojournalism. Ron’s body of work is currently made available for research and editorial use through Getty Images and their website at www.gettyimages.com. Please visit rongalella.com or email rongalella@gmail.com for all other media inquiries.

Pauline Vermare (Q&A) is an associate curator at the International Center of Photography, and a co-curator of Public, Private, Secret with Charlotte Cotton and Marina Chao. Before joining ICP, Pauline worked at MoMA on Peter Galassi’s Henri Cartier-Bresson—The Modern Century. From 2003 to 2009, she was the head of communications and exhibitions production for Agnes Sire at the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation in Paris. From 2001 to 2002, she assisted the head of Magnum Photos’ Paris office, Diane Dufour. As a curator, Pauline has been part of the International Center of Photography’s Exhibition department since 2010. She worked on the production of several groundbreaking ICP shows and publications, including The Mexican Suitcase, Elliott Erwitt—Personal Best, Christer Strömholm—Les Amies de Place Blanche, Sebastião Salgado—Genesis, Capa in Color, ¡CUBA, CUBA!, and Public, Private, Secret.

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