Ron Galella, Paparazzi photographer, is here in Park City for the premier of his movie “Smash His Camera” at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
He and his wife stopped by the gallery today to view the exhibition of his photography works and dropped off a few extra photos. Be sure to stop by the gallery if you’re here for the festival to see his works and the books on this notorious photographer.
The Sundance Film Festival is about to get underway (tomorrow is the opening day) and we already are feeling the excitement! Rental trucks are moving out shops as Sundance moves in. Gallery MAR is featuring the works of Ron Galella, whose life work is documented in the new film “Smash His Camera,” premiering at Sundance.
Another Art Film is causing a stir on our streets. Apparently four new alleged Banksy (arguably the most well-known graffiti artist in the world) stencils/grafitti pieces have popped up in our mountain town. Adding to the intrigue are the rumors that the “Spotlight Surprise” documentary film will actually be about the British artist and entitled “Exit Through The Gift Shop,” the title of a piece from his recent Bristol Museum exhibition.
Will this film be another hoax or joke on the audience? The possibilities are endless for the reveal at this film. The Festival Director, John Cooper, describes the documentary by saying, “Surprise is a good thing. Take a chance on this one. I confess, it’s one of my favorites this year.”
Enjoy the “art” around town. I’m sure the city’s code enforcers are going to have a field day with this new work!
Much has been written of Ron Galella. Widely regarded as the most famous and most controversial celebrity photographer in the world—he’s been dubbed “Paparazzo Extraordinaire” by Newsweek and “the Godfather of the U.S. paparazzi culture” by Time and Vanity Fair—Galella is clearly willing to take great risks to get the perfect shot. As a result, he has endured two highly publicized court battles with Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis, a broken jaw at the hands of Marlon Brando, and a serious beating by Richard Burton’s bodyguards before being jailed in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
But ultimately, it is his passion for the fine art of photography, coupled with a dedicated do-it-yourself approach to his craft—few artists can claim his level of skill in making their own prints—that sees Ron’s body of work exhibited at museums and galleries throughout the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in both New York and San Francisco, the Tate Modern in London, and the Helmut Newton Foundation Museum of Photography in Berlin.
Ron’s passion for photojournalism has also given rise to many highly acclaimed books including Disco Years (PowerHouse, 2009), which was honored as Best Photography Book of 2006 by The New York Times, and Smash His Camera, a documentary of his life and career by Oscar-winning director, Leon Gast (When We Were Kings, 1996), that will premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and compete for Best U.S. Documentary.
