Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
American, 1933-2022
Through his lens, Melvin Sokolsky built a world of surreal mystery. His most iconic series, depicting a woman in a plexiglass bubble, remains one of the most recognizable works of fine art photography today.
Born in New York City in 1933, he had no formal photography training. Instead, he learned by experimenting with his father’s box camera and analyzing photographs his father had developed.
At 21, he joined the staff at Harper's Bazaar. Soon after, Sokolsky landed projects for many other notable magazines, including Esquire and McCall’s. He went on to teach at the School of Visual Arts.
In 1969, Sokolsky became a television commercial director. He won several Clio Awards, as well as numerous other major commercial awards. Many of his commercials are in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collections. Sokolsky developed a computerized zoom lens, which he presented at the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1972; he went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for the technology.
Across his career, Sokolsky photographed or directed a number of celebrities, including American actors Ben Affleck and Dustin Hoffman, as well as American singing and acting legend Barbara Streisand.
Sokolsky received an abundance of recognition for his work, including being named an Explorer of Light by the Canon camera company in 1995. He received the first annual Lucie Award for outstanding achievement in fashion photography in 2003, and the Louvre in Paris held a celebration for his work that same year.
Sokolsky exhibited at many world-class galleries, including at Staley-Wise in New York in 1997, Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles 2008 and Galerie Acte 2 in Paris in 2010 and 2011.
Towards the end of his life, Sokolsky worked for Canon, lecturing internationally and serving as one of its global company ambassadors. He died in 2022. His body of work spanning several decades is in numerous prestigious collections, including the Getty in Los Angeles and Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
On 1stDibs, enter the wondrous world of Melvin Sokolsky’s photography.
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Artist: Melvin Sokolsky
Melvin Sokolsky - Flower Girl Faces - Paris Harper's Bazaar 1963
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in PARIS, FR
Melvin Sokolsky was born and raised in New York in 1933, where he began his career as a still-life photographer.
He began his career at Harper's Bazaar in 1959, at the age of 21.
M...
Category
1960s American Realist Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Silver Gelatin
Saint Germain, Paris
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in New York, NY
Unique gelatin silver print
Signed, dated, and numbered (1/-1) in pencil, verso
This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
Category
1960s Other Art Style Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Think On Air, Paris, 1965 - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in London, GB
Think On Air, Paris, 1965 - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
Signed On Reverse
Archival Pigment Print
Printed on 16 X 20 inch paper
From an Edition of 25
Melvin Sokolsk...
Category
1960s Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
School Yard Tree, Paris, 1963 - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in London, GB
School Yard Tree, Paris, 1963 - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
Signed On Reverse
Silver Gelatin Print
Printed on 20 X 16 inch paper
From an Edition of 25
Melvin Sokol...
Category
1960s Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
In Trees, Paris, 1963 - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in London, GB
In Trees, Paris, 1963 - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
Signed On Reverse
Archival Pigment Print
Printed on 30 X 30 inch paper
From an Edition of 25
Melvin Sokolsky (born 1933) is celebrated as an important pioneer of illusory fashion photography. He has worked for Vogue and The New York Times, as well as Harper’s Bazaar, for which he produced the iconic Bubble series...
Category
1960s Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Bouquet Seine, Paris, 1963 - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in London, GB
Bouquet Seine, Paris, 1963 - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
Signed On Reverse
Archival Pigment Print
Printed on 20 X 16 inch paper
From an Edition of 25
Melvin Sokolsky (born 1933) is celebrated as an important pioneer of illusory fashion photography. He has worked for Vogue and The New York Times, as well as Harper’s Bazaar, for which he produced the iconic Bubble series...
Category
1960s Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Bar du Baguette, Paris, 1963 - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in London, GB
Bar du Baguette, Paris, 1963 - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
Signed On Reverse
Archival Pigment Print
Printed on 20 X 16 inch paper
Melvin Sokolsky (born 1933) is celebrated as an important pioneer of illusory fashion photography. He has worked for Vogue and The New York Times, as well as Harper’s Bazaar, for which he produced the iconic Bubble series...
Category
1960s Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
In Trees, Paris
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin Silver or Archival Pigment Print. All editions signed by the photographer.
Category
1960s Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment, Silver Gelatin
Bicycle Street - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in London, GB
Bicycle Street - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
Signed on photographer's label on reverse of mount
Archival pigment print, mounted on aluminium
30 x 30 inches
from an ...
Category
1960s Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
On the Seine - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in London, GB
On the Seine - Melvin Sokolsky (Black and White Photography)
Signed on photographer's label on reverse of mount
Archival pigment print, mounted on aluminium
30 x 30 inches
from an ed...
Category
1960s Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Yoga Wheel, New York, Harper’s Bazaar
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in New York, NY
All editions signed by the photographer.
Category
1960s Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
Le Dragon, Paris
By Melvin Sokolsky
Located in New York, NY
All editions signed by the photographer.
Category
1960s Melvin Sokolsky Black and White Photography
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Melvin Sokolsky black and white photography for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Melvin Sokolsky black and white photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Melvin Sokolsky in archival pigment print, pigment print, silver gelatin print and more. Not every interior allows for large Melvin Sokolsky black and white photography, so small editions measuring 16 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Herb Snitzer, Don Donaghy, and Guy Webster. Melvin Sokolsky black and white photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $7,500 and tops out at $50,000, while the average work can sell for $20,000.