Harry Gruyaert Harry Gruyaert In the era of the selfie, what makes a portrait photograph significant and collectible? Thanks to social media, we are inundated with numerous images of ourselves and others; photography is no longer the special, exclusive skill it once was. Some collectors might ask: What does a portrait artist offer that our smartphones cannot? For Roger Szmulewicz, director of the Belgium-based Gallery FIFTY ONE , portrait photographers, like painters, bring a human element to their artwork that cannot be replicated through technical proficiency alone. As with portraiture in painting, no two portrait photographers will photograph a subject the same way. These differences are paramount for Szmulewicz; they relay how photographers, like other artists, deliver a signature style that is often overlooked in the market. His gallery has sought to rectify this since it opened in 1999. Through October 29th, the gallery is showing two solo exhibitions […]
What Are the Qualities of a Great Portrait Photograph?
