Jerome Liebling | |
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 | |
| Born | (1924-04-16)April 16, 1924 New York, New York |
| Died | July 27, 2011(2011-07-27) (aged 87) Northampton, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Brooklyn College |
| Known for | Photography |
| Website | jeromelieblingphotography |
Jerome Liebling (April 16, 1924 Manhattan, New York – July 27, 2011 Northampton, Massachusetts) was an American photographer, filmmaker, and teacher. The documentary filmmakerKen Burns, who studied with him atHampshire College, called Liebling his mentor, and used one of Liebling's photographs on the cover of his 2022 bookOur America: A Photographic History.[1][2]
Liebling servedin the armed forces in Europe and North Africa duringWorld War II.[3] After the war, he returned toBrooklyn College under theGI Bill[4] to study art and design underWalter Rosenblum andAd Reinhardt.[5] In 1947, he joined New York's famedPhoto League where he studied withPaul Strand. For two years he taught classes, showed his work in group exhibitions and served as membership secretary on the League's executive committee.[5] In 1948, he studied motion-picture production atNew School for Social Research and worked as a documentary filmmaker.
While a professor of film and photography at theUniversity of Minnesota, Liebling began a longtime collaborative relationship with filmmaker Allen Downs;[3] together they produced several award-winning documentaries, includingPow Wow,The Tree Is Dead, andThe Old Men.[4]
Liebling received numerous awards and grants, including twoGuggenheim Fellowships, aNational Endowment for the Arts Photographic Survey Grant, and a fellowship from the Massachusetts Council on the Arts. His photographs are in the permanent collections of many museums, including theArt Institute of Chicago,[6]Museum of Modern Art in New York,[7] theNational Gallery of Art,[8] theSmithsonian American Art Museum,[9]The Jewish Museum in New York,[10] theSan Francisco Museum of Modern Art,[11] and theNational Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.[12]
Liebling was a professor emeritus ofHampshire College. He was the younger brother of David Liebling and Stan Liebling, and he is the father of five children, including Minnesota politicianTina Liebling and film director/producer Rachel Liebling.[3]
In 2015 the Steven Kasher Gallery held a retrospective of Liebling consisting of 50 photographs taken over 50 years in New York City.[13]
