Roy Schatt
Intimate Portraits of Twentieth-Century Icons
Roy Schatt (1909-2002) was an American photographer best known for his portraits of many of the twentieth century's most influential actors, musicians and artists. Working in New York from the 1940s onwards, he photographed figures including James Dean, Marlon Brando, Harry Belafonte, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Martha Graham and many others.
Schatt's reputation rests particularly on his photographs of James Dean. His Torn Sweater Series, photographed on 29 December 1954, captured the young actor only months before the release of East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. Although originally commissioned for Life magazine, the photographs were never published and have since become some of the most recognisable and widely exhibited images of James Dean.
Unlike many celebrity photographers of the period, Schatt sought to reveal the personality of his subjects rather than simply their public image. His photographs are characterised by their directness, warmth and psychological insight, qualities that have ensured their enduring appeal with collectors, museums and galleries.
Today, Roy Schatt's photographs are represented in museum and private collections around the world and remain among the defining photographic portraits of twentieth-century popular culture.
