100 Iconic Photographs

Author: Ron Galella
Language: Italian English

Editions available:
100 Fotografie Iconiche – La mia retrospettiva. Ron Galella
Translation: Alberto Damian, Anna Martinelli
Format: soft cover, 19.7x25 cm, 160 pages
ISBN 9788831403191 (Italian)

100 Iconic Photographs – A retrospective by Ron Galella
Format: hardcover, 19.7x25 cm, 160 pages
ISBN 978-1-7378102-1-6
Published in the United States of America bdaRon Galella, Ltd.
Distributed in Europe by SIME BOOKS

In 2021, the King of Paparazzi undertakes an arduous task: to select his 100 most iconic photographs, choosing from the over 3 million shots that make up his archive. A truly iconic photo is timeless, continuing to be treasured and valued many years after it was taken. It is a dense, emblematic image, always capable of activating historical, cultural and emotional connections. 

This book – the first by Ron Galella to be translated into Italian – is the result of a journey into the photographer's personal memory, but also an exploration of that collective mythology populated by celebrities of all kinds: stars of cinema, television, art and music, models, athletes, politicians, businessmen and personalities from the jet set of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. The tales of the "behind the scenes" that accompany some photographs allow you to get an idea of Galella's particular working method, his famous "paparazzi approach". Thanks to her unique and spontaneous style, Galella allowed us to see the stars up close, making what seemed unattainable momentarily more real. 

RON GALELLA, “PAPARAZZO SUPERSTAR”

Ron Galella (1931-2022) is widely considered the most important and controversial paparazzi in the history of photography.
Born in the Bronx to an Italian father and an Italian American mother, he served as a photographer in the United States Air Force during the Korean War before attending the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, where he earned a BA in photojournalism. Later, he began photographing celebrities at film premieres and hasn't stopped since. Thus he earned the nicknames of "Paparazzo Extraordinaire" (Newsweek) and "Godfather of the American paparazzi" (Time and Vanity Fair). 
What made it possible that Galella's work is still exhibited in museums and galleries around the world was above all his extraordinary passion for photography, to which was added his ability to develop and print his own photos in the darkroom . Important museum institutions, including the MOMA in New York, the MOMA in San Francisco and the Helmut Newton Museum in Berlin, have his iconic works in their collections.