Steve Schapiro

(American, 1934–2022)

Steve Schapiro is a photographer and photojournalist who captured some of the most important historical events of the 1960s and 1970s. Schapiro also produce memorable films stills for The Godfather (1972) and Taxi Driver (1976), as well as portraits of David Bowie and James Baldwin. Born in New York, NY in 1934, his interest in photography began at the age of 9 and was furthered by his study of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work. Schapiro went on apprentice with the renowned photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, who deeply influenced his own work. “I stayed with Eugene Smith in 1961 and he really taught you how to make prints in terms of getting intense blacks and intense whites,” he said of his mentor. That same year, he began working as a freelance photojournalist, with his images appearing in publications such as LIFE, Vanity Fair, Newsweek, and Time. Among his seminal images are those of Martin Luther King in 1963 and Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign. Known for his compassionate and activist approach to his subjects, his works played an important role in bringing issues such as the Civil Rights Movement, immigration, and narcotic addition to national attention. The artist lives and work in Chicago, IL. Today, Schapiro’s photographs are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, among others.