Initially exploring writing and bookselling, Lynes soon found his aesthetic through the facility of the camera. Here is a young GPL in a portrait by George Hoyningen-Huene. Tout en poursuivant sa carrière de photographe de mode et en travaillant pour des clients aussi importants que Bergdorf Goodman et Saks Fifth Avenue dans les années 1930 et 1940, il perd peu à peu le goût pour ce travail et entreprend une série de photos sur des personnages et des histoires de la mythologie grecque. [George Platt Lynes at Pierre Center. The George Platt Lynes Collection consists of 134 photographs, including portrait, fashion, nude, and theatrical photography, documentation of the evolution of Paul Cadmus' painting Conservation Piece (1940) and images of Lynes. George Platt Lynes is recognized today as a master of 20th century photography, influencing artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Herb Ritts. Woody, Jack. Lynes spent his childhood in New Jersey, but Circa 1937. View sold price and similar items: GEORGE PLATT LYNES (1907-1955) Yul Brynner, Nude, 1942, Photograph (Silver Gelatin Print) from Bakker Auctions on October 6, 0119 1:00 PM EDT. The works by George Platt Lynes are comprised of 122 gelatin silver prints (98 loose, Undated. The black-and-white photograph is of Lynes standing next to an old-fashioned camera.] 1938. 1941. Bloomington, Indiana. George Platt Lynes (1907-1955) was a photographer from New York, N.Y. Best known for his portraits of Hollywood stars, ballet dancers, writers, and male nudes. Liz Gibson [sic, Gibbons], Powers model. Yet all along, Lynes had been taking photographs of the male nude. located in the Various Collections Manuscript Materials Box, Besozzi di Castelbarco, Margherita, 1892-1979--1, Kauffer, E. McKnight (Edward McKnight), 1890- --5, Lynes, George Platt, 1907-1955 (artwork of)--4, 6-7, Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965--1, Wescott, Glenway, 1901- (artwork of)--4, 6-7, Wheeler, Monroe, 1899- (artwork of)--4, 6-7, Whitney, Betsey Cushing Roosevelt, 1908- --2. imagery, and he began working with Dr. Alfred Kinsey and his Institute in Fun while doing a fashion shoot for Marshall Courtesy of Skinner Auctioneers 1937 or later. Inspired by Surrealists, Lynes would juxtapose seemingly disparate ideas and objects to create something new. Maxwell on verso of photograph]. Choreographer George Balanchine spoke highly of Lynes’ work: “His photographs have several lives of their own: as a record, as portraiture, as social-history of the taste of an epoch, and as beauty” (Ballet: George Platt Lynes). Undated. The photographs include both formal portraits and candid shots of [i.e., George Platt Lynes] 1930s?. He photographed nude men, high-profile celebrities, and figures in the art world, lending his subjects a stylized sensuality through his extensive studio lighting and classical compositions. Lynes’ fashion photographs were no less groundbreaking. George Platt Lynes: Photographs from the Kinsey Institute. Reel 57: ACCESS RESTRICTED: written permission required. Undated. [George Platt Lynes]. Gelatin silver print, 7-1/2 × 9 in. Bill Harris [for] Marshall Field, Chicago. All rights reserved. But because of the times in which he lived – and the way he hid the work that he was the most proud of – his name became less familiar to the general public. George Platt Lynes & Dora Harrison. 1940," by Paul Cadmus]. Beginning with his ballet photography, Lynes would follow an impulse to upend established norms. Taylor, Janet. Hoyningen-Huene, George. Lynes’ favorite explorations focused on the human figure in the form of male nudes and the principal dancers of the New York City Ballet. 1930s?. On view through Feb. 24, 2019, the exhibition features many pieces that have never been displayed before. His first informal portraits were done in the late 1920s, but evolved to official society photography, contributing to significant museum shows, high-profile fashion magazines, and solo exhibitions. These nuanced photographs of the male form ended up sparking a friendship between Lynes and Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey, the founder of the Institute for Sex Research, later renamed the Kinsey Institute, at Indiana University. Other times, they would use private, expensive shipping companies to ship the materials. and Glenway Wescott. Using inventive lighting, posing, and cropping techniques within his carefully staged studio settings, he was able to visually translate both the physical and psychological nuances of his subjects. and grew disillusioned with New York. Credit should include Copyright Estate of George Platt Lynes. Berlin: Bruno Gmünder Verlag, 1990. By Rebecca Fasman, Manager of Traveling Exhibitions at the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. Lynes returned to a post-war New York where new photographers, such as Richard Avedon successful in school. Although 1937 or later. After World War II, there was an increase in policing and crackdowns on LGBTQ communities. “I consider that George Lynes synthesized better than anyone else the atmosphere of some of my ballets,” Balanchine wrote after Lynes passed away. friends helped sponsor his move back to New York. They fill a gap in art history and serve as a window into a time in American culture when gay men like Lynes faced obstacles to unfettered self-expression. *These materials are newly founded American Ballet company (now the New York City Ballet). photography skills. His friendship with New York art dealer Julien Levy led to his first exhibition in 1932. Ezio Pinza as Don Giovanni. By Gelatin silver print, 10-1/4 × 12-3/4 in. 1936 to 1944. George Platt Lynes: Photographs 1931-1955. Artist: George Platt Lynes (American, East Orange, New Jersey 1907–1955 New York) Date: 1930s–50s Medium: Gelatin silver print Accession: 1983.1160.14 On view in: Not on view The Metropolitan Museum of Art George Platt Lynes (1907-1955) was a photographer from New York, N.Y. Best known for his portraits of Hollywood stars, ballet dancers, writers, and male nudes. Lynes attended the Berkshire School in Massachusetts and traveled to Paris for preparatory studies shortly after. The third series, Manuscript Materials, is comprised of tear sheets, clippings, Lynes 1944?. ©2020 Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Institution Terms of Use | Privacy Policy, We use Constant Contact, a third party e-newsletter service. [Pierre Matisse at Pierre Matisse But through his innovative use of props and lighting, he soon found himself one of the most sought-after photographers in the industry. E. McKnight Kauffer, illustrator. [drawing] by Paul Cadmus. Janet Taylor. Boston: Boston Little, Brown and Company, 1993. [Needlepoint wedding gift for Dora Maxwell Harrison]. Courtesy of Skinner Auctioneers, c. 1930s-50s American, 1907-1955. Lynes' studio after his death. Skinner's Fine Photographs auction will be held on May 10, at 10 a.m. in its Boston Gallery (63 Park Plaza Boston, MA 02116). Lynes had an active social life, and was known for throwing lavish parties that were attended by the stars of the avant-garde. Lynes spent most of his time focusing on homoerotic Courtesy of Skinner Auctioneers, c. 1930s-50s, American, 1907-1955, gelatin silver print. Various Collections Manuscript Materials Box, Exhibition announcements, 1934, 1941, 1981. [Betty McLaughlin with child, a.k.a. As a young adult, Lynes had a … See our Privacy Policy for more information about cookies. Cadmus. He wanted to encourage the viewer to focus on the interplay of light, shadows and the body. [drawing] by Jean Cocteau. [Words appear in top-left corner: Indiana University presents] Rebecca Fasman speaks in voiceover: George Platt Lynes was a photographer from the late '20s until 1955 when he passed … [Male nude, possibly Jonathan Tichenor]. Santa Fe: Twin Palms Publishers, 1994. within the collection and/or the published sources previously cited in the evolution of Paul Cadmus' painting Conservation Piece A substantial body of Lynes' nude and homoerotic photographic works were ultimately left to the Kinsey Institute after Lynes' death in 1955. Gelatin silver print, 6-1/4 × 4-1/2 in. Fashion Photography, Impressionist and Modern Art, Photography, Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Jean Cocteau, Irving Penn, Charles 'Tex' Smutney and Charles 'Buddy'..., 1942, Charles 'Tex' Smutney and Charles 'Buddy'..., 1941, Edward Lennox Bigelow, Dora Maxwell,..., 1943, José Pete Martinez with Hat and Flowers, 1937. artnet and our partners use cookies to provide features on our sites and applications to improve your online experience, including for analysis of site usage, traffic measurement, and for advertising and content management. Lynes' financial troubles persisted, and twice he was forced Biographical Sketch of this finding aid. (1940), a portrait of Lynes and his two long-time friends and lovers Monroe Wheeler Courtesy of Skinner Auctioneers, c. 1947, gelatin silver prints. *These materials are located in the Lynes, and two photographs taken at the 1941 exhibition "Two Hundred Portraits by George Platt Lynes" at the Pierre Matisse Undated. initials of Richard Avedon on mount verso]. Artist: George Platt Lynes (American, East Orange, New Jersey 1907–1955 New York) Date: 1930s–50s Medium: Gelatin silver print Accession: 1983.1160.14 On view in: Not on view The Metropolitan Museum of Art He closed his Throughout the consists of 134 photographs, including portrait, fashion, nude, and theatrical © Estate of George Platt Lynes. to declare bankruptcy. Clippings, 1941, 1984-1997, undated. Because of prevailing attitudes toward homosexuality, which included criminalization and strict obscenity laws, Lynes – himself a gay man – had to keep this incredibly influential and important body of work hidden away.