Arthur Kane, A’50
Arthur Kane, A’50, achieved fame for his influential photographs of music and fashion figures. Following high school, Art Kane joined the US Army He served in World War II, and then applied to Cooper Union on the G.I. Bill. Soon after graduation he secured a job at Esquire Magazine designing page layouts. Two years later he was named art director at Seventeen magazine. He was 27 at the time and was the youngest art director at any major magazine in New York City. He then began studying photography with Alexey Brodovitch at The New School.
In the 1960’s and 70’s, Art Kane photographed rock stars including The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Cream, The Mothers of Invention, and The Who. The photos that Art took of these celebreties were published in many major publications. He would eventually earn the title of world’s greatest rock photographer. One of his most famous works from that era is A Great Day in Harlem or Harlem 1958. This work is a 1958 black-and-white group portrait of 57 jazz musicians.
In addition to singers and musical groups, Art also photographed Margeux Hemingway, Andie McDowell, and Iman among numerous other female icons of his day.
Art Kane received the 1967 Augustus St. Gaudens Award and the 1965 President’s Citation. He was inducted into The cooper Union hall of Fame in 2009.