Ralph Gibson in the Leica Hall of Fame

"Being a photographer is the easiest thing in the world – you just have to push the button. But the most difficult thing is to take a picture that you can go on looking at for a long time,” is the way Gibson formulates his artistic and photographic challenge. Over the past six decades, he has succeeded in fulfilling this task brilliantly, time and again; a fact that was impressively in evidence at the Leica Gallery in Wetzlar last week. As part of the Celebration of Photography event, the photographer was honoured with the Leica Hall of Fame Award for his life's work, which can now be viewed in a comprehensive exhibition, on display until the end of February.

Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director and General Representative of Leica Galleries International introduced Gibson and his work on stage, during an evening event at the Leica Gallery in Wetzlar, within the framework of the Celebration of Photography. She explained: “Whether secretive and emotional, or clearly recognisable; analogue or digital; black and white, or even colour on rare occasion -- Ralph Gibson has undoubtedly created a many-layered and touching body of work, for which we are more than happy to distinguish him with the Leica Hall of Fame Award.”

Gibson was an entertaining guest: not only during the press conference on the day of the award ceremony, but also in the evening; and again, on the following day, during a talk, when he shared many stories from his life with the photographer and film maker Ted Forbes. An extensive video portrayal of Ralph Gibson was produced for the occasion of the Leica Hall of Fame Awards, and may be seen at Youtube.

Gibson remained an advocate of analogue photography for a very long time; but the use of a Leica Monochrom, in 2013, changed his attitude. Immediately after taking the first pictures, he recognised the potential of digital technology, and was able to transition effortlessly from the dark room to digital imagery. His vision, however, remained unchanged. Many of his motifs have long been considered icons of photography. His clear, graphic and perfectly composed images, where he often gets up close to the object, are immediately recognisable. His pictures seem abstract, yet without totally giving up the relationship to reality. In addition to precise studies of objects, surreal compositions, and spontaneous street scenes, exquisite nudes are also a recurring element in Gibson's repertoire.

A comprehensive portfolio and an interview with Ralph Gibson may be found in the current issue 8/2021 of LFI.