"He's a fucking genius!": America of the mid-20th century in the lens of the iconic Bruce Davidson
American photographer Bruce Davidson had the talent to gain the trust of completely different people. He could come to Harlem and the neighborhoods run by gangs, or, conversely, sit down at a table with Marilyn Monroe and Yves Montand. And they didn't drive him away, allowing him to take a couple of photos and leave in peace. Together with his artistic talent, this allowed him to become one of the most famous photographers of the mid-20th century, a real living classic.
And that's fair, because Bruce Davidon is a fucking genius.
Chicago, 1963.
Bruce Davidson became especially famous and gained national recognition for his work for Magnum Photos agency. His published books-collections "East 100th Street" (about Harlem), "Brooklyn Gang: Summer 1959" (about teenage gangs in New York) and "Civil Rights. 1961-1965" (about civil society) made him a lifetime classic.
Brooklyn. New York, 1959. From Bruce Davidson's book Gangs of Brooklyn.
New York, 1959. Also from "Gangs of Brooklyn".
New York, 1962.
Streets of Chicago, 1963.
Chicago, 1962. A couple dancing in a blues bar.
New Haven, Connecticut, 1954. Yale University, an American football match.
New Jersey. 1958. Little Jimmy.
Coney Island, 1959. Vacationing rakes, from the collection "Gangs of Brooklyn".
1953. The Playboy Club.
Alabama, 1965. Young activists of the movement for equal rights, during the march of Martin Luther King.
New York, 1959. From the book "Gangs of Brooklyn". The photo has become iconic due to the social subtext: here we see white Americans riding in the back seat of a bus (although according to the law on racial segregation, only blacks can sit on them).
New York, 1962. The girl in the bar.
Chicago, 1963.
Georgia. Military camp "Gordon", army exercises. 1955.
Coney Island, New York, 1959. From the book "Gangs of Brooklyn"
New York, the bored beauty from the book "Gangs of Brooklyn".
New York, 1963. Malcolm X's performance in Harlem.
New York, Harlem. 1962.
New York, a strange hugging couple from the book "Gangs of Brooklyn".
Another "in love" couple from the "Gangs of Brooklyn". Less happy this time.
Coney Island, New York, 1959. From the book "Gangs of Brooklyn".
Beverly Hills Hotel, California, 1960. Marilyn Monroe with her husband Arthur Miller, Yves Montand and his wife Simone Signoret.
New York, 1959. From the book "Gangs of Brooklyn".
Keywords: 50s | 60s | Bruce Davidon | USA | Photographer | B/w | Black and white photography