Galerie Hilaneh von Kories - Bill Perlmutter: Europe in the Fifties. Through a Soldier‘s Lens


Bill Perlmutter:Bill Perlmutter Vita→ Vita
Europe in the Fifties. Through a Soldier‘s Lens

May 23rd until July 17th 2013
The exhibition will be extended until August 15, 2013

From May 5 to July 17, 2013, Hilaneh von Kories Gallery in Hamburg will present works by New York-based photographer Bill Perlmutter. Beginning in 1954, on assignment for the US Army, Perlmutter traveled through Europe. “Europe in the Fifties. Through a Soldier’s Lens” shows a selection of his images taken in Germany, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The 80-year old’s work is a historical treasure that will be presented for the first time in a German gallery.

The photographer’s view of war-torn Europe is direct and intuitive. Without much background knowledge and with a somewhat biased opinion primarily shaped by films he had watched, the young GI set out to start his coverage. In a discrete way, humans shape his images. With an open mind and obvious interest for his contemporaries, he witnesses a Europe, which is marked by visual reminders of a war that had been fought ten years before. Although, people have settled into their daily routines again. Life goes on, despite of the wartime experience and the austerity that followed. It is all there in front of Perlmutter’s camera, who captures street scenes as a curious and impartial spectator. He does not prey on them but approaches human beings with a sense of empathy. “The streets became a stage and the people the actors, in a constantly changing and fascinating theatre of reality”, Perlmutter comments on his photographic inspiration.
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Bill Perlmutter
Policeman, Madrid, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta
40 × 40 cm

It all started in December 1954, when the then 27-year old soldier boarded a troop carrier to Germany, to start his new assignment as a photographer for the U.S. Army magazine. The first images from Perlmutter’s Rolleiflex originated during the rough Transatlantic passage. Even though he had never left his home country and was a bit apprehensive about his future, Perlmutter was “looking forward to photographing Europe and visiting all those wonderful places that I had read about and seen in the movies.” His first short vacation from his deployment in Germany brought him to Paris, where he allowed himself to drift up and down boulevards and to find his own perspective of life in the big city.

Bill Perlmutter: Children Waving at U.S.Tanks, Germany, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Vorschaubild
Children Waving at U.S.Tanks,
Germany, 1956
Bill Perlmutter: Open Wide, Germany, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Vorschaubild
Open Wide,
Germany, 1955
Bill Perlmutter: Postcard Seller, Paris, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Vorschaubild
Postcard Seller,
Paris, 1956
Bill Perlmutter: Old Couple in the park, Paris, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Vorschaubild
Old Couple in the park,
Paris, 1955

But only during a trip to Italy he confronts the prejudices he brought with him. “I grew up believing that all Italians ate spaghetti with red sauce, and the women all dressed in black. Until I was sent to Europe, the only Italians I had ever met lived in the Bronx and came from Sicily: and were not my friends.” His view was also shaped by Italian films in the realism style of the post-war period. The reality in 1956 made him reconsider. “All my preconceptions were shattered when I found most Italians to be congenial, outgoing, and optimistic about the future. Rome was a living history lesson and Venice the most enchanting city I had ever visited.”

Perlmutter’s photographs taken in other countries display an honest interest in the conditions and the cultural distinctions. His images are a testament to the different living standards in different parts of the region.

Almost 60 years after the images were conceived, they clearly document the photographer’s sense of the special moment. Every single image becomes a lively piece in the puzzle of remembrance, reporting accurately on the historical period, but also capturing very personal encounters. His insightful work has a long lasting effect, way and allows those pictures to come alive. Again and again. Even after all those many years

Bill Perlmutter: Man With Dark Glasses, Italy, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Vorschaubild
Man With Dark Glasses,
Italy, 1956
Bill Perlmutter: Boy on the Beach, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Vorschaubild
Boy on the Beach,
Portugal, 1956
Bill Perlmutter: Front Side and Rear, Spain, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Vorschaubild
Front Side and Rear,
Spain, 1956
Bill Perlmutter: Nitrato do Chile, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Vorschaubild
Nitrato do Chile,
Portugal, 1956

BILL PERLMUTTER was born in New York on September 5, 1932. He began his career with a Bachelor of Arts in Motion Picture Techniques from the City College Film Institute in New York.

In 1954 after graduating from the United States Army Photography School, he spend two years in Europe as a staff photographer for the U.S. Army newspapers based in West Germany. Since then he traveled extensively all around the world as a free-lance photographer. From 1978-1997 he worked as the Vice President of Rainbow Chromes, a company specializing in photographic and digital retouching.

His images have been collected and exhibited by fine art galleries world-wide and are in the permanent collections of MoMA, The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Smithsonian and the Museum of the City of New York. Bill Perlmutter lives in New York.

In connection with the exhibit seltmann+söhne will be publishing its book
“Through a Soldier’s Lense - Europe in the Fifties”. (150 images, € 39.-) www.seltmannundsoehne.de

Cover Bill Perlmutter
„Through a Soldier‘s Lens – Europe in the Fifties“
seltmann+söhne, 2013

This publication is available in the gallery.

More photos from this exhibition

Bill Perlmutter: Boy With Toe in the Sand, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
open image gallery
Bill Perlmutter: Dancing on the Beach, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Under the Eiffel Tower, Paris, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: G.I. Cigarettes, Germany, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Pigeon Fright, Venice, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Woman in Doorway, Spain, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Schoolgirls in the Train Station, Germany, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Bathing in the Nahe River, Bad Kreuznach, Germany, 1954
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Hill-Billy Gasthaus, Germany, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Soccer Fan, Germany, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Old Couple, Germany, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Hitler Lookalike, Germany, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Farmer With Lamb, Italy, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Women in Folk Dress, Germany, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Grande Dame, Germany, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Carriage and Broom, Germany, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Naughty Dog, Germany, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Headless Chicken, Spain, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Bill Perlmutter: A Kiss on the Hand, Paris, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Bill Perlmutter: A Walk in the Park, Paris, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Piazza del Popolo, Rome, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Along the Banks of the Main, Germany, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Child with Cat on Cobblestones, Italy, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Umbrella Boy, Italy, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Father and Two Children, Germany, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Father and Son on a Bench, Spain, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Three Boys Under an Umbrella, Rome, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Grandmother and Child, Spain, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Man With Box Camera, Paris, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Praying Priest in Front of Saint Peters, Rome, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Bill Perlmutter: School Boys, Italy, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Perlmutter Wading in the Adria, Italy, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Girl With Baskets, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Watching the Sea, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Oxen Pulling Cart, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 40 × 40 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Four Gypsy Children, Spain, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 25 × 25 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Waiting for the Weather to Clear, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Hooded Sailor, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Two Woman Waiting, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Nazare, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Wives and Children, Portugal, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Four Men and a Painting, Italy, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Man Leaning on Bales of Rope, Spain, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Butcher Shop, Rome, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Hardware Store, Spain, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Women and Wagon, Spain, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Street Musicians, Paris, 1955
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Lady in a Cafe, Paris, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Gauloise Ash, Paris, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm
Bill Perlmutter: Woman Reading in Park, Paris, 1956
Fine Art Print auf Harman Gloss Baryta 27 × 27 cm

More infos about this artist

Bill Perlmutter: Vitaopen vita

Bill Perlmutter:
Europe in the Fifties. Through a Soldier‘s Lens

May 23rd until July 17th 2013
The exhibition will be extended until August 15, 2013
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday 14:00–19:00h and by appointment

Galerie Hilaneh von Kories
Stresemannstraße 384a (in the courtyard)
22761 Hamburg
Fon: +49 (40) 423 20 10
mail@galeriehilanehvonkories.de
www.galeriehilanehvonkories.de

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