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George Zimbel, American/Canadian, American, b. 1929
Title: Irish Dance Hall, The Bronx, NY, 1954
Date: 1968
Medium: Silver gelatin print
Dimensions:
Image: 20.3 x 29.9 cm
Signed: on verso (in graphite): George Zimbel
Credit Line: Purchased, 2019
Object Number: NGI.2019.164
DescriptionGeorge Zimbel was born and grew up in Massachusetts. Known for his ‘straight’ photography, he captured myriad aspects of American life using his Leica camera. His images of celebrities, particularly Marilyn Monroe, made him famous but his real interest was always in recording ordinary people. He documented the traditions and clothing styles of many different groups including Irish immigrants. A hallmark of his approach is non-intervention. He photographs what is really happening and feels that serious observation is more important than creating a scene. Unhappy with the American political situation, Zimbel moved to Canada in 1971 and is now based in Montreal. He continues to produce new work and print previously unseen images from his archive. His activity reflects his feeling that creative people speed up as they get older because they have a backlog of ideas and projects along with the realization that time is finite.