BERLIN.- Camera Work presents an exhibition of outstanding photographer-portraits by the American photographer Arnold Crane. The show opened on July 16 and will continue through September 3, 2011. The photographs are complemented with works by the portrayed artists from the comprehensive archive of CAMERA WORK.

Arnold Crane enjoyed unparalleled access to the most famous photographers of our time. He used his camera to capture the giants of 20th century photography - Man Ray, Walker Evans, Ansel Adams, Bill Brandt, Brassai, Edward Steichen and many others - in the very intimate settings of their homes, streets and studios.

Over a period of more than two decades, Crane created a body of artistic work of immeasurable value and historic importance. Whether sitting in a car with Paul Strand, catching Imogen Cunningham in her kitchen or accompanying Ansel Adams on a Point Lobos shoot, Crane always managed to produce sensitive photographs that both revealed and revered his subjects.

Crane has worked as a photographer since his youth and documented incidents such as major crime scenes, earthquakes, fires and political events and was published in various U.S. magazines. After receiving his Doctor of Juris prudence, he temporarily stopped working as a photographer, but started again in 1983, inspired by a friendship with the photographer Man Ray. His monograph On the Other Side of the Camera, already out of print, offers a complete collection of all the artists’ portraits Crane has created over the years. The book won the renowned KODAK Photo Book Award in 1995, the year of its publication.

Crane’s photographs have been published in numerous books. For example one of Crane’s portraits of Walker Evans was used recently as the frontispiece for the book Walker Evans - Decade by Decade published in 2010. He was selected as one of 100 New York Photographers in a book of the same name in 2009. His work has been shown in many exhibitions in international galleries and museums. They are part of collections of the Metropolitan Museum of New York, Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Art Institute in Chicago. He regularly holds seminars and lectures about photography. The artist lives in Chicago and Paris.