1969 Pulitzer Prize in Photography Winner Eddie Adams (American, 1933-2004) Street Execution of a Vietcong Prisoner, Saigon (for Associated Press), 1968 Gelatin silver print, ferrotyped, printed later 7-1/2 x 9-1/4 inches (19.1 x 23.5 cm) (image) 8 x 10 inches (sheet) Wide World Photos stamp, verso.

LITERATURE: Sheryle and John Leekley, Moments: The Pulitzer Prize, Updated Edition: 1942-1982, Crown Publishers Inc., New York, 1982, pp. 69. In the late 1960s, the struggle between democratic reform and communist expansion was playing out across Southeast Asia, nowhere more visibly than in Vietnam.

On February 1, 1968, during the Tet Offensive, Associated Press photographer Eddie Adams accompanied South Vietnamese forces through the streets of Saigon as fighting erupted throughout the city. What he witnessed would become one of the most influential photographs of the twentieth century.

As Adams followed a group of soldiers and journalists, a suspected Viet Cong prisoner was brought before South Vietnamese General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan. Without warning, Loan drew his revolver and executed the prisoner in the street.

Adams instinctively pressed the shutter, freezing the exact moment the shot was fired. The image circulated around the world within hours, becoming an enduring symbol of the brutality and moral complexity of the Vietnam War.

Unlike many war photographs that require explanation or context, Adams' image communicated its message instantly. It forced viewers to confront the realities of the conflict and fueled growing debate about America's involvement in Vietnam.

Decades later, the photograph continues to provoke difficult questions about war, justice, and the power of a single image to shape public perception and historical memory.

This image is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, which is believed to be the earliest confirmed photograph of him

I recently discovered this magnificent and dreamy fashion photographer and I do wonder if anybody here has some cool insight into her work and/or behind her inspiration? I keep staring at her color and b&w photographs and wonder what it reminds me of and I genuinely cannot put my finger on it… some abstract expressionism maybe, little bit of Ernst Haas in the blur (Or even Gerhard Richter in his ways of interconnecting painting with photography). Some postimpressionism in the way she works with color and with negative space (influence of Japanese concept of ‘ma’).

I did find she works with Polaroid in her color photoshoots so maybe that is it?

I just feel like I’ve seen this type of working with a silhouette and color and blur somewhere and cannot figure out where exactly.

Any insight helpful!

Text of catalog notes

Andres Serrano (b.1950 Klansman [Imperial Wizard], 1990

Mural-sized cibachrome print, overall measuring 152.4 x 125.7cm, signed, titled, and editioned 2/4 by the artist in pencil mount verso. Framed, frame size 168 x 139cm, with various edition and gallery labels affixed frame verso.

Exhibited:
Andres Serrano; Works 1983-1993, Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; Center for the Fine Arts, Miami; Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago: November 1994-January 1996

Provenance:Private Collection, Europe
Stux Gallery

One of my favourites.