Leo Rubinfien
author · photographer
Leo Rubinfien is an American photographer and essayist based in New York City. He first gained prominence in the 1970s as part of a circle of artist-photographers exploring new color techniques and materials. His work often focuses on East Asia; he spent significant time in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia during the 1980s, producing over 100,000 photographs. Rubinfien is known for his poetic approach to photography, arranging images into 'couplets' or sequences that explore subjective perspectives rather than precise boundaries. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and his work is held in major collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He also serves as an assistant professor at Fordham University.[4,5]
Themes
- East Asia
- Color photography
- Modernity vs Tradition
Books
-
Map of the Eastauthor · photographer
Works by Leo Rubinfien
- A Map of the East 1992 · D.R. Godine / Thames & Hudson · book · English ISBN 0879239433 A collection of 107 color photographs taken during the 1980s in Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.
- Wounded Cities 2008 · Steidl · book · English ISBN 978-3-86521-676-2 Explores the 'mental wounds' left by terror attacks in New York City and other global cities.
- Garry Winogrand 2013 · San Francisco Museum of Modern Art / Yale University Press · book · English Edited by Rubinfien.
Exhibitions
- 1993 A Map of the East Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York solo
- 2008 Wounded Cities Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. solo
Awards
- 1982 Guggenheim Fellowship John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation