Book Talk: Claudio Edinger - The Chelsea Hotel
In conversation with the author of the acclaimed book and writer Fred Ritchin
About the Event
Chelsea Hotel met with immediate acclaim on its original publication in 1983; Edinger's absorbing black-and-white photographs were wonderfully complemented by an introduction from Pete Hamill, dean of New York newsmen, and contributions from such legendary hotel residents as William Burroughs and Arthur C. Clarke.
Now this highly sought-after volume—winner of the Leica Medal of Excellence—is back in print for the first time in decades, with additional photos from Edinger’s archives; a new foreword by writer and actress Alexandra Auder, who grew up in the hotel; and a new appreciation by Fred Ritchin, the noted writer on photography.
One of the things that sets Claudio's portraits apart is that each resident is photographed in their apartment, which gives a glimpse of their personality, but also shows the wide range of bohemian and subculture lifestyles co-existing in the hotel.
Claudio Edinger (b. 1952) began photographing in 1975. He is the author of 22 books including the “History of Fine Arts Photography and Modern Painting”.He has received twice the Leica Medal of Excellence, the Hasselblad Award, the Higashikawa Award (Japan), the Ernst Haas Award, the Life Magazine Award, the Marc Ferrez Award, the Porto Seguro Award, the Ernst Haas Award and many others.His photos are in the collections of LACMA (Los Angeles), Maison Europeénne de la Photographie (Paris), MASP, MIS, MAM and Itaú Cultural (São Paulo). He has had more than 80 exhibitions in the USA, Brazil, Europe and Asia.
Fred Ritchin is Dean Emeritus of the International Center of Photography (ICP) School, serving more than 3,500 students annually in graduate, certificate, continuing education, and youth photography programs. Previously Ritchin had founded the Documentary Photography and Visual Journalism Program at the ICP School and directed it from 1983–86. He was appointed Dean in 2014 and Dean Emeritus in 2017.
Immediately prior to joining ICP, Fred Ritchin was professor of Photography and Imaging at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts from 1991–2014, where he co-directed the NYU/Magnum Foundation Photography and Human Rights educational program. Ritchin has been picture editor of the New York Times Magazine (1978–82) and executive editor of Camera Arts magazine (1982–83).