arts & entertainment
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Detroit
Famed photographer captures images of the Motor City for new exhibition at the DIA.
Suzanne Chessler
Contributing Writer
B
ruce Weber's celebrated career
in photography holds a strong
place in the world of fashion with
clients such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren
and Versace.
Magazines, books and short films show-
case his artistry as it moves into domains
allowing a broad expression of subjects.
Weber's range veers locally with "Detroit
— Bruce Weber; an exhibit running through
Sept. 7 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Eighty
views of contemporary people and places
have been captured through his lens.
The famous, such as singing legend
Aretha Franklin, and the not-so-famous
caught his eye. Places as iconic as Belle
Isle share pictorial wall space with more
everyday sites.
Weber, 68, whose bar mitzvah experi-
ences entered into his career advancement,
answered questions about the exhibit and
himself for the Detroit Jewish News:
JN: What made you decide to work on
this exhibit?
BW: While I was on two different
assignments in Detroit — first for W
magazine in 2006 and then for Shinola last
year — I developed a real admiration for
the people I encountered. So many of the
photographers I admire — Robert Frank,
Cartier-Bresson, Eve Arnold — came to
Detroit and did great work.
The city has an openness about it that
inspires any person who holds a camera or
a paintbrush to do their own thing. Detroit
gives everyone a chance, myself included.
This winter, my wife, Nan, and I were
having lunch with Anna Wintour (editor
of Vogue magazine and artistic director of
Conde Nast) in New York City. I told her
about some of the people I had met and
experiences I had in Detroit last fall.
Anna said, "I can't believe you're saying
this to me; just an hour ago, some people
at Conde Nast said, 'Let's do a project in
Detroit: I suggested an exhibition. What
do you think?"
I've always believed exhibitions
shouldn't be about business or fame. They
should develop in a very organic way and
come about at the right time. I don't usual-
ly decide to do something like this on the
spot, but it sounded so exciting. I wanted
to do something that expressed my fond-
ness for Detroit and its people.
JN: How did you select your subjects?
BW: For both of my projects here, I
worked with Jennifer Venditti, a casting
agent who does lots of film work. She had
DETROIT BRUCE WEBER
JUNE 20-SEPTEMBER 7, 2014
Photographer Bruce Weber, Vogue Editor/Conde Nast Artistic Director Anna Wintour
and DIA Director Graham Beal at the press preview of "Detroit - Bruce Weber."
Detroiters at the Raven Lounge in Detroit
been working in Detroit on a project and
found many of the people seen in the exhi-
bition. So we started there.
But then I'd be photographing some-
one, and that person would introduce me
to friends; or I'd walk out onto the street
and meet the most amazing people and
couldn't imagine leaving without taking
their portraits, too.
JN: Is there a story to one of your favor-
ite photos in the exhibition?
BW: Before I photographed the Tuskegee
Airmen, I read about their heroism during
the war. So I was very honored when such
a large group of them came to the studio.
They were a first-class group of gentlemen,
but there were so many of them that I
could barely fit them all into one picture.
The airmen started to tell me how best
to take the picture and arrange the group,
how they looked the best. It made me
laugh because it was no different from
Hollywood.
JN: What made you decide to become a
photographer?
BW: My whole family took pic-
tures together when I was a kid, espe-
cially of one another. They were lucky
The Tuskegee Airman
because all of them were very good-look-
ing and made excellent subjects.
But my dad's pictures and my grand-
mother's had such a great sensitivity to
something beyond what was apparent. I
learned a lot from them.
Then when I got bar mitzvahed, my
uncle promised that he would give me his
collection of National Geographic maga-
zines. When he did some years later, I
became obsessed with those photographs
and stories, the world of adventure that a
camera can open up to you.
My family was my biggest inspiration
early on.
JN: Has Judaism influenced your life?
BW: Judaism has definitely influenced
my life and how I look at the world. I
haven't been to Israel yet, but my aunt and
uncle traveled there often during their life-
times and told me what an extraordinary
place it was.
From a young age, I read about the
courage of the people who struggled to
make Israel their home during such a diffi-
cult time in the world. Their courage, and
the fact that they could still stand tall in
the face of oppression, makes me feel like
there's nothing I can't do.
JN: What pictures of yours or others
hang in your home?
BW: I have a big photo collection with
all kinds of pictures — some from galler-
ies, some from exhibitions and auctions,
and others from flea markets.
Aside from the many family photo-
graphs and pictures of my dogs, I like
to collect old expedition photographs
from Antarctica, the South Seas and the
Himalayas. I also collect works by Edward
Weston, Paul Strand and Walker Evans.
JN: Are there special recollections about
photography in your family?
s
BW: My dad was a great photographer
and filmmaker as was my grandmother
and uncle. Every weekend we would get
together and take pictures and make home
movies in the backyard.
In a funny way, I've experienced the
same family feeling with the projects I
have done so far in Detroit — everyone
involved joins in and says, "Let me help
you:'
JN: What did you learn about Detroit
from taking the pictures?
BW: When I first visited Detroit in 2006
while on assignment for W magazine with
[model] Kate Moss, I was immediately
struck by how warm and welcoming every-
one was as I met and worked with them.
I photographed people from all different
walks of life — students, stylists, writers,
athletes, you name it. No matter who they
were, I felt that welcoming spirit, which as
an outsider working in a new city meant
everything.
JN: Did you develop any favorite places
while working in the city this time
around?
BW: One night after working late, we
went to the Raven Lounge nightclub in
Detroit to hear some music. We were really
wiped out after a long day, but in photog-
raphy, the picture is never really over.
All of our subjects started dancing with
one another, and I watched these great
friendships form that evening. I have a fond
place in my heart for the Raven and the
music that brought everyone together.
❑
"Detroit - Bruce Weber" will be on
view through Sept. 7 at the Detroit
Institute of Arts. Hours are 9 a.m.-4
p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 9 a.m.-
10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays. General
admission free for Wayne, Oakland
and Macomb county residents. (313)
833-7900; dia.org .
July 3 • 2014
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