I recently purchased a copy of this reissue of the 1979 monograph of Lisette Model. I had heard of Model, but didn’t know much about her work. She was a rather private individual who actually fought celebrity. Until the publication of this Aperture monograph she refused to publish her work in book form.
Lisette Model was born in Vienna, Austria in 1901. She initially studied music under the tutelage of Arnold Schoenberg. She moved to Paris in 1926 to continue her music and voice studies. By the early 1930s she began to paint, and in 1934 she began a series of photographs of the Promenade des Anglais on the French Riviera.
In 1940 Model moved to the U.S. with her husband, the painter Evsa Model. It was the start of numerous exhibitions and a 15 year association as a freelance photographer with ‘Harper’s Bazaar’. From 1951 to 1982 she taught at the New School.
At first glance, what strikes me about Model’s work is its diversity and depth. She was as at ease with photographing the brisk movement on the streets of NYC as with capturing elderly folks relaxing on the French Riviera. Like many photographers who develop one style and stick to it, Model successfully adapted her style to the subjects and situations that she photographed. I find this trait very powerful and adds to the overall complexity of the work
Berenice Abbot wrote the lead text of the book. She writes, “I know of no other photographer who has photographed people as inwardly as Lisette Model….She has that necessary rapport with the human species of whatever hue or faction. She is very much at home with all kinds of people. She feels for them and understands them..”
Upon discovering and learning more about Lisette Model’s work it became evident that her work inspired numerous photographers… Elliot Erwitt, Robert Frank, Saul Leiter, Vivian Meier, Raymond Depardon, Bruce Gilden, Diane Arbus, and Larry Fink among many others. At the end of the text Abbot wrote, “It is a large order to look at life unblinkingly in the midst of general confusion….She (Model) is part of no cult or fad. She is always herself. Hers is the fearless eye.”
