Coney Island of the Heart
Harold Feinstein, renowned Greenwich Village photographer and master teacher, who captured iconic black-and-white images of Coney Island in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, died at his home in Massachusetts this past June. He lived much of his professional life in the West Village at several locations, 55 Greenwich Ave. at Perry Street being the longest stay. He was a frequent participant in Helen Gee’s Limelight Gallery on Sheridan Square, America’s first photography gallery, and shared a darkroom with W. Eugene Smith, the radical photo essayist who also helped to create the renowned Jazz Loft in Chelsea, a gathering studio for many jazz greats.
Born of Jewish immigrant parents in 1931 at Coney Island Hospital, Feinstein began photographing in 1946 at the age of 15, borrowing a Rolleiflex from a neighbor and heading straight to Coney Island. Certain of his calling as an artist, he dropped out of school at the age of 16 and in 1949 became the youngest member of New York’s historic Photo League.
By the time he was 19, Edward Steichen, an early supporter, had purchased his work for the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, making him the youngest photographer to be so honored.
Until the turn of the century he was best known for his six-decade love affair with Coney Island. While his Coney Island work has been much celebrated, Feinstein’s breadth and exposure is far greater. His photographs from the Korean War, taken from the perspective of a draftee (1952-53), offer an intimate look at the daily life of young conscripts and Korean civilians.
In addition, he has a large collection of classic street photography, nudes, portraits and still life. His first black and white monograph, Harold Feinstein: A Retrospective was published to critical acclaim in 2013.
Throughout his life, Feinstein was known as an innovator and iconoclast. In the late 80’s, Feinstein put a prism on the lens of his camera and took photographs of the streets of New York. The resulting series of abstracts, Metropolis, opened at New York City’s Municipal Art Society in 1995 and was later published in LIFE magazine.
In 1999, he embraced digital photography, resulting in the publication of seven color books by Little Brown. Beginning with his acclaimed One Hundred Flowers, the books feature highly detailed portraits of nature’s wonders including flowers, fruits, vegetables, seashells and butterflies. His pioneering use of his scanner as camera, which allowed for both front lighting and a very shallow depth of field, earned him the Smithsonian Computerworld Award in 2001.
In addition to his reputation as an artist, Feinstein was a renowned teacher. Teaching continually from his studio and in residence at The Maryland Art Institute, The Philadelphia Museum School, and The School of Visual Arts, among other institutions, he shaped “the vision of hundreds of aspiring photographers,” according to photo critic A. D. Coleman.
In recent years, his earlier black and white work has been reintroduced to the public with exhibits that included a major retrospective in Moscow. His current exhibition Harold Feinstein: Master Photographer will be up through August at Lumiere Atlanta. Recent shows include the Leica Gallery Los Angeles in September 2015, the Leica Gallery Sao Paolo next February, Blue Sky/Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts in Portland in August 2016, and an exhibit at Panopticon Gallery in Boston (date to be announced in 2016).
He had a profound appreciation for the preciousness of each moment and encouraged all who knew him to say “yes” to the beauty of everyday life. His best-known expression “when your mouth drops open, click the shutter” defines the sense of awe that he found in the smallest details of life.
In addition to the West Village, Feinstein had lived recently in Merrimac, MA. He is survived by his wife, Judith Thompson and his son, Gjon Feinstein, who lives in Santa Cruz, CA.
For more information, please contact Judith Thompson, Director, Harold Feinstein Photography Trust at judith@haroldfeinstein.com (978) 346-9909
