When John F. Kennedy was elected to the White House in November 1960...
The American people embarked on a thousand-day journey to a mythical land. Now remembered as Camelot, a metaphoric equivalent of King Arthur's Court, Kennedy's presidency placed him and his young family at the center of the world's stage. There they helped inspire a cultural reassessment of the American way of life.
This exhibition of Stanley Tretick's photographs includes some of the most memorable images of America's Camelot and evokes the historical context in which it emerged. As a group, these pictures help us to understand the construction of the Kennedy myth, one that remains intact to this day.
The 1960 Presidential race was so close that any public relations advantage would prove decisive. This was the first national campaign in which television played a determining role. The medium favored Kennedy's telegenic presence and understated, cool personality. On the campaign trail, the candidate and his advisors also recognized the importance of photography in projecting an all-American, take-charge image. Kennedy was careful to control his appearances and he befriended many members of the media, who in turn conveyed a heroic and appealing candidate. A public icon emerged: the candidate was on the cusp of his destiny, followed by crowds of enthusiastic supporters. His conscious effort to control his media image and to use this power to gain advantage influenced the course of all future political campaigns.
Tretick is best known today for the photographs he took of President Kennedy relaxing with his children. Kennedy was well aware of the public relations value of images that depicted him as a family man with a moral agenda. While the President's wife Jackie fought to maintain an umbrella of privacy for young Caroline and John, Jr., Tretick grew close to the family. His photographs of them, published in Look from 1960 to 1964, helped define the American family of the early-sixties and lent Kennedy an endearing credibility that greatly contributed to his popularity. A 1961 Look cover of Kennedy driving his nieces and nephews in a golf-cart, taken at the family compound in Hyannis Port, is akin to the patriotic, illustrative paintings of Norman Rockwell that then graced the covers of The Saturday Evening Post. Tretick's uncanny understanding of the symbolic value of such imagery allowed him to focus on small humanistic moments within the power and politics of Washington.
In October 1963, Stanley Tretick took his most famous photograph for an article about the relationship between the President and his son. While Jackie was away in Greece, Tretick was allowed to join the father and son, walking the halls of the White House and playing together in the Oval Office. When John, Jr. popped his bemused face out from under the President's desk, with Kennedy posing behind, Tretick created the image that summarizes both the myth and memory of Camelot. When Kennedy was assassinated several weeks later, these pictures were already on their way to the newsstands and helped create a lasting impression of the man through the art of photography. Stanley Tretick died in July 1999 at the age of 77, just days after John Kennedy, Jr.'s plane was lost off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.
Organized by award winning author, Kitty Kelley. The Kennedy Years contains approximately sixty photographs by Stanley Tretick. The exhibition focuses on Tretick's photographs of the Kennedys and the presidential campaign of 1959-60. Also included in the exhibition, placing Tretick's photographs in the context of journalism, photojournalism, politics and history, are several of his photographs from Korea made in the early fifties, along with some magazines, personal papers, cameras, and other documentary materials.
THE KENNEDY YEARS
EXHIBITION PARTICIPATION FEE:
$10,000 for an 8 - 12 week loan period plus insurance and shipping.
EXHIBIITON CONTENTS:
60 framed black and white and color photographs with captions, wall text panels, gallery guide, and media kit.
STANLEY
TRETICK
O N L I N E P H O T O A R C H I V E S
Contact: Vickie A. Rehberg, Marketing Manager
Tel: (561) 883-2145 Email: info@stanleytretick.com
Copyright, The Estate of Stanley Tretick. All Rights Reserved. The entire contents of this website is protected by US and International copyright laws. No portion herein may be reproduced without prior written permission from the copyright owner.
