In this episode of the Fine Art Photography Podcast, photographer Michael Kenna has donated his entire body of work to France
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Full episode transcript
In this episode, fine art photographer Michael Kenna donates his work to France
Intro
Hey everybody welcome back to another episode of the fine art photography podcast.
This news — which I think is really big news — barely made a blip in the headlines in the U.S. last week. At first, I thought maybe I misheard the headline. But it’s true — influential fine art photographer Michael Kenna has agreed to donate 3,683 original silver gelatin photographic prints along with their corresponding negatives and scans to France. The announcement was made at by the French Minister of Culture at Paris Photo 2022, same time that Kenna was awarded the Officer of Arts and Letters, a high distinction in France.
According to the French newspaper LeFigaro, the donation also includes work prints, contact sheets, Polaroids, and over 175,000 other negatives encompassing Kenna’s entire career.
The works will be housed at the Media Library of Heritage and Photography.
Michael Kenna shoots black and white film using a Hasselblad 503 CW camera and makes his own prints in the darkroom.
He has made photographs in dozens of countries — including of course France — typically landscapes and architectural subjects shot in fog, snow, or long exposures at night. Many of his images impart a sense of mystery or silence — the compositions are often quite minimalist — perhaps just a solo black tree on a snow-covered mountainside. All these people posting long-exposure photos of posts from old fishing piers sticking up out of the ocean — they can thank Michael Kenna for the inspiration. I’ve read that some of his exposures can last up to 10 hours.
Kenna was born in 1953 in an industrial area of Lancashire, England, where he grew up in a poor family. Originally, he had considered studying to become a priest but decided instead to pursue his interest in art. He studied photography at the London College of Printing. In addition to his fine art work, Kenna has always worked as a commercial photographer and his website includes work for clients like Audi, Adidas, BMW, Bank of America, and many others.
Early in his career while carrying out commissioned work, Kenna began personal projects devoted to the landscape including his renowned series on the Gardens of Versailles. In the late 1970s, Kenna relocated to San Francisco, followed by Portland, Oregon, then to Seattle, Washington where he still lives.
While in San Francisco, Kenna found work in the darkroom of photographer Ruth Bernhard. She taught him her darkroom tricks and helped enhance his printing skills.
Needless to say, Kenna’s work has been exhibited in countless prestigious shows, and his work is represented by dozens of top art galleries around the world, including eleven galleries in the United States.
He has published 30 photo books.
Congratulations to Michael Kenna on a life well lived, and for the recent accolades from the nation of France. His work and life have certainly been an inspiration for me.
That’s all I’ve got for this episode. You can find sources and links for Michael Kenna in the show notes or on my blog at I Catch Shadows dot com. And of course you can see my own work at keith dotson dot com.
Thanks for listening. I’ll talk to you again real soon.
Sources and Links
LeFigaro, “Photographer Michael Kenna donates all of his work to France”
La Gazette Drouot, “Photographer Michael Kenna Donates His Work to France”
News in France, “Photographer Michael Kenna donates all of his work to France”