Ben Martin was TIME Magazine’s first New York Bureau staff photographer covering wars, fashion, politics, arts, business, and sports for TIME, Life, Fortune, People, and Sports Illustrated for thirty-three years. He immortalized evocative images that defined the 1960’s.
Silver gelatin photographs are revered for their rich tonal range, intricate detail, and historical significance. Crafted through a meticulous process involving manual exposure, darkroom development, and creative manipulation, these black-and-white prints offer a tangible connection to the past while providing a canvas for artistic expression. Their archival quality, tactile nature, and monochromatic focus evoke a deep emotional impact, inviting viewers to engage with the image's composition, contrast, and texture, resulting in enduring and cherished artworks.
In this series of legendary photoshoots, Martin captured the complexity of each artist's personality, art, and surroundings. This black & white photograph was taken in 1962 and is a rare capture of Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) posing with his works in his studio just as his career was taking off. He had been teaching at Rutgers University in New Jersey where his interest in Proto-pop imagery was ignited. In 1961, he started incorporating cartoon images and advertising imagery in his works. Lichtenstein had his first one-man show at a New York gallery in 1962 where the entire collection was acquired by influential collectors before the show even opened. In 1964, Lichtenstein became the first American to exhibit at the Tate Gallery, London. In 1967, his first museum retrospective exhibition was held at the Pasadena Art Museum in California. The same year, his first solo exhibition in Europe was held at museums in Amsterdam, London, Bern, and Hannover. Lichtenstein had his first retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in 1969.
The size of the silver gelatin print is 20 inches high and 16 inches wide. It is numbered 1/15 on the back of the photograph. It is framed in a black frame measuring 26 inches high and 22 inches wide. The price includes the frame. It is wired and ready to hang. Free local Los Angeles area delivery. Affordable Continental U.S. and worldwide shipping. A certificate of authenticity issued by Kathryn Leigh Scott representing Ben Martin's Photographs is included.
Ben Martin attended Ohio University, where he majored in journalism and photography, working his way through college cooking nights as a short-order “White Castle” hamburger chef, and as a stringer-photographer for UPI Newspictures. He was married to actress Kathryn Leigh Scott (1971-1990), with whom he co-founded Pomegranate Press, a book publishing company. The two remained close friends and business partners until his death on February 10, 2017, at age 86.
Ben Martin's photographs have been exhibited in galleries throughout the US.
Artplex Gallery is pleased to offer Ben Martin's photograph through official Kathryn Leigh Scott authorized editions. This edition size is only authorized for 15. Please contact us for additional photographs from Ben Martin.
