Duke and Duchess of Windsor at Wildenstein Gallery Opening, NYC

Over the course of a career that spanned five decades, the celebrity photojournalist Ron Galella photographed everyone who was anyone in entertainment, sports, and politics in the late twentieth century. Known for his humor and brazen confrontational style, he eventually achieved a level of fame and notoreity that rivaled that of his subjects. Galella was born in the Bronx and developed a passion for photography while serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. After his military service, he pursued formal training at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, earning a degree in photojournalism. In the 1960s he began his career as a professional paparazzo, selling his pictures to publications such as Time, Life, and the National Enquirer.



Galella’s signature style was rooted in spontaneity and persistence. He rarely used a viewfinder; instead, he shot with a pre-focused wide-angle lens that allowed him to make eye-contact with his subjects, whether or not they welcomed the attention. His relentless pursuit of celebrities led to a series of controversies concerning privacy and freedom of expression, which peaked in a landmark legal battle with former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. As a progenitor of the paparazzi style in American photography, Galella pioneered a uniquely modern form of portraiture that speaks to the compelling power of fame in our cultural imagination.