The Art of Alan Kleinberg Featured at The King’s College
The King’s College is honored to host an art installation featuring the work of noted photographer and film producer Alan Kleinberg.
For the remainder of the 2017-2018 academic year, The King’s College is honored to host an art installation featuring the work of noted photographer and film producer Alan Kleinberg. The installation includes six pieces from the Kleinberg archive.
This opportunity was organized by Peter Freeby, program associate for the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute at The King’s College. Freeby, who also works as a freelance designer and creative manager, became interested in Kleinberg’s work after meeting him at Outlet Gallery (now closed) in Bushwick.
The installation is an excellent fit for The King’s College, as Kleinberg’s work explores New York City’s role as a culture-shaping city. Kleinberg’s photographs capture a fly-on-the-wall view of some of the most significant underground scenes in New York culture during the latter half of the 20th century, providing an unprecedented ‘candid’ look at culture-shapers in their element. His images are thoughtful and deliberate, considering their subjects as both cultural icons and individuals.
From the 1970s through the 1980s, Kleinberg, a native New Yorker, crafted a large body of work ranging from fashion and celebrity social shots to street scenes of everyday New Yorkers. His ability to capture unique, intimate moments in New York social life remains the gold standard of such projects. His celebrity subjects include prominent figures such as Andy Warhol, Kathleen Bigelow, and Karl Lagerfield, among others. John Silvis, a former TKC professor who taught courses like Culture and Aesthetics, currently manages the Kleinberg archive.
The six pieces in the installation serve as timeless portraits of individuals and moments, creating small oases of contemplation in the midst of the busy TKC campus. Eric Bennett, vice president for student development, said of the art pieces, “Diane Arbus once said, “Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.” I’m grateful to Alan Kleinberg for letting us steal his iconic pictures and to John Silvis, Art Consultant, for arranging the heist. Kleinberg’s images allow us to gaze into history by capturing a moment and freezing it. His timeless images give the King’s community mementos to come back to again and again like we do with a beloved poem.”
The King’s College extends a warm thank-you to Alan Kleinberg and to the Kleinberg archive for the generous loan of the images.