O.J. Simpson and President Ford, Washington, D.C., 1976
16''x20'' fiber print, 1 of 3 prints (one in the Ford Lirary)
"Thousands of people pass through the White House every year, and some of them are lucky enough to meet the President. If you're a celebrity the chances are good that you will. O.J. Simpson was one of those lucky ones, and brought his family along to meet a plaid-clad President Ford in the Cabinet Room in the summer of 1976, (with wife Marguerite, daughter Arnelle, and son Jason, who appears underwhelmed by the experience). This photo apparently was a prized O.J. possession, and was at the center of a Las Vegas heist in which he tried to recover his own memorabilia at the point of a gun. If O.J. Simpson had just called me instead of jacking his own memorabilia he might not be in the slammer today. I would have given him a copy of the photo, and surrendered it without a fight!"
Richard Nixon with Yo-Yo, Grand Ole Oprey, Nashville, Tennessee, 1974
22.5''x30'' fiber print, edition of 5
20''x24'' fiber print, edition of 50
16''x20'' fiber print, edition of 50
"President Richard Nixon stunned the crowd at the opening of the new Grand Ole Opry in Nashville with a playful attempt to show, 'The King of Country Music,' Roy Acuff his mastery of a yo-yo. It was definitely political spin of a different variety."
Nixon plays the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, TN, 1974
50''x35'' archival giclee, edition of 5
24''x20'' archival giclee, edition of 50
20''x16'' archival giclee, edition of 50
"President Richard Nixon is not exactly remembered as a fun-loving guy, but you would never have known that if you'd attended the opening of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on March 6, 1974. He sat down at a piano and rapped out, 'Happy Birthday,' for his wife First Lady Pat Nixon, who turned 62 that day. Another tune was playing in the distance that night, and less than five months later Nixon was drummed out of the White House over the Watergate scandal, leaving office on August 9, 1974."
First Lady Betty Ford, Washington, DC, 1977
24''x20'' fiber print, eidition of 15
""I always wanted to dance on the Cabinet Room table," shows the First Lady posing atop that table, January 9, 1977, the day before her husband President Ford left office. Mrs. Ford was a former Martha Graham dancer who also had an agile sense of humor, as exhibited here and demonstrated in the middle of a very male domain."
John and Martha Mitchell, Washington, DC,1970
34''x50'' archival giclee, edition 1 of 5
20''x24'' archival giclee, edition of 2500
16''x20'' archival giclee, edition of 1000
"This was John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s favorite political picture, and he ran it in the inaugural issue of his magazine, 'George'. He also used it as the cover of the invitation to the party announcing the publication of the magazine. Martha Mitchell, who was married to Attorney General John Mitchell, was called, 'the Mouth of the South', after she began contacting reporters when her husband's role in the Watergate scandal became known. Richard Nixon told David Frost during their interviews, 'If it hadn't been for Martha Mitchell, there would have been no Watergate.' This moment, I believe, accurately captured the personalities of both Mrs. Mitchell and her husband."
Ali-Frazier Fight, Madison Square Garden, New York, 1971
40''x60'' archival giclee, edition of 5
"Historic heavyweight battle between Joe Frazier and Muhammed Ali, both undefeated champions at Madison Square Garden, March 8, 1971. Frazier won a decision after knocking Ali down in the 15th round. My photo is the only one of Ali heading for the canvas after being struck by Frazier, and was featured on the front page of the New York Times the following day, which was also my 24th birthday."
Gov. Ronald Reagan and Family, 1967
24''x20'' fiber print, edition 1 of 1
"Governor and Mrs. Ronald Regan at their Pacific Palisades home, Christmas Day with two of their children Ron, Jr. and Patty Davis, December 25, 1967."
President Ford and Governor Reagan at the Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, 1974
20''x24'' fiber print, edition of 10
16''x20'' fiber print, edition of 10
"No, it's not a scene from The Godfather, but a meeting between California Governor Ronald Regan and President Gerald Ford in a suite at the Century Plaza Hotel before a black tie Republican fundraiser, October 31, 1974. Regan staged a losing challenge against Ford for the Republican presidential nomination in 1976."
President Ford, Secretary of State Kissinger and Chief of Staff Rumsfeld with Geishas, 1974
38''x14'' fiber print, edition 1 of 5
"Three 11''x14'' fiber prints that hung in the back room of Nathan's Restaurant in Washington, DC at the kind of State Dinner that Bill Clinton would have killed to attend! Gerald R. Ford was the first US President to visit Japan, and was certainly the first and last to rub noses with a Geisha. Kyoto, Japan, November 21, 1974."
Dick Cheney in bumper car, Dallas, 1976
20''x24'' fiber print, edition 1 of 3
"White House Chief of Staff Dick Cheney at the Texas State Fair, Dallas, Texas taken on October 9, 1976 during the presidential campaign. Cheney went on to be a Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States."
Fidel Castro, Havana, 1977
24''x20'' fiber print, unique print but negative exists
"President Fidel Castro is one of the most fascinating people I have photographed. I met him several times and found him to be one of the most engaging leaders out of the dozens I have photographed. Havana, Cuba on October 31, 1974."
Leonind Brezhnev, Helsinki, 1975
24''x20'' fiber print, edition of 5
20''x16'' fiber print, edition of 5
"Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev takes a smoke break outside the final day of the Helsinki Summit, August 1, 1975. One of the advantages of my position as the official White House photographer at that time was my ability to get close to world leaders who were otherwise inaccessible to outsiders, particularly from Communist countries."
Five Presidents, Reagan Library Dedication 1991
20''x24'' fiber print, edition of 50
16''x20'' fiber print, edition of 50
"Presiden George Bush, former Presidents Reagan, Carter, Ford and Nixon (L-R) at the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California, November 4, 1991. This was the first time that five presidents had been together in one place and has since happened four other times, and I was there for each occasion."
Five Presidents, the Oval Office, 2009
20''x24'' fiber print, artist's proof edition 4 of 10, full edition of 44
16''x20'' fiber print, edition of 44
"Former President George Bush, President-elect Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office at the White House, January 7, 2009. This is only the fifth time five presidents have been together and I have been there on each occasion. This is the second time there was a posed photo, as three of the other times were memorial services."
The Good Ole Red, White & Blue, Beijing,1999
60''x40'' chromogenic print, edition of 15
"The 50th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China, Beijing. Three photos of Chinese soldiers marching in Tienanmen Square, October 1, 1999. These photos with a decidedly tongue-in-cheek title represent a major power in the world, and it is clear from the soldier's determination that they definitely believe that also."
Portrait of a First Lady Wincing, Washington, DC, 1998
16''x20'' fiber print, signed, edition of 1
"First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton reacts to a comment made by the Secretary of Education who said he beat President Clinton at a card game on Air Force One, taken in The Roosevelt Room, The White House, 1998. I wasn't sure how the First Lady (at the time) would react to the photo, but I sent it to her anyway hoping for a signature on the print. She sent it back and written on the photo signed by her she said, 'Dear David, I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you.'"
The Obamas, Inaugural Night, Washington, DC, 2009
18''x12'' chromogenic print, edition 3 of 44
"The Predisent and Mrs. Barack Obama share a moment in a freight elevator at the Washington Convention Center as they head to one of ten Inaugural Balls, Washington, DC, January 9, 2009. I didn't cover the campaign, so didn't really know the Obamas, but this moment said a lot to me about their relationship, which seemed genuinely warm and affectionate."
John Edwards Has a Plan, 2004
11''x14'' fiber print, edition of 1
"Senator John Edwards campaigns for president, 2004. Edwards admitted to an extramarital affair while he was running for president."
George Harrison in the President's Chair 1975
16''x20'' fiber print, edition 1 of 2 with other in Ford Museum
"Seated (L-R), Tom Scott, Billy Preston, George Harrisson, Ravi Shankar, presidential son Jack Ford, and standing Harold Harrison. George's father, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, December 12, 1974. This picture is the only print from the original negative of this unusual gathering."
The Supremes, Portland, 1966
16''x20'' fiber print, edition of 1, negative exists
"I was 19 when I took this photo of Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard, backstage at the Portland Colisium, Portland, Oregon, 1966."
President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office, Washington, DC, 1996
20''x24'' fiber print, edition of 1, negative exists
"President Clinton's reaction as he met with families of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 in the Oval Office in 1996. Flight 103 was blown up by a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988."
Easter in Vietnam, 1971
20''x24'' fiber print, edition of 50
"One of the things I discovered in covering several wars is that sometimes the best photos are on the edges of the action, rather than in it. This photograph, taken on Easter in Vietnam is a good example. When I saw the cross dangling from the soldier's neck near Khe Sanh, I knew I had a good photo. The photograph was taken in 1971 and is part of my 1972 Pulitzer portfolio."
The Road to Quang Tri, 1971
20''x24'' fiber print, edition of 1
"A cross marks the grave of a South Vietnamese soldier on the road to Quang Tri near the DMZ with North Vietnam, 1971. Symbols are everywhere and this one was an all too familiar sight. War is about death, crosses about religion, and many times the twain do meet."
Sadat at the Pyramids, 1977
16''x20'' fiber print, edition of 1, negative exists
"Eqyptian President Sadat at the Pyramids of Giza posing for a TIME 'Man of the Year' photograph, Cairo, 1977. Sadat was one of the most dramatic and magnificent leaders that I have photographed. He granted me remarkable access during my assignments for TIME Magazine. The world lost a great man when he was assasinated."
VINTAGE PRINTS
Lone Soldier, Vietnam, 1971
19''x15'' fiber print, edition of 1
"1972 of a lone soldier traversing a blown-away hillside in Vietnam near the A Shau Valley. This photo was cited by the Pulitzer committe as an example of my portfolio of 14 photos submitted by UPI editors for the award, 'That shows the loneliness and desolation of war.' My 1972 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography was for a portfolio of work from 1971 that included photos from Vietnam, Cambodia, India, and the Ali-Frazier fight at Madison Square Garden. The only complete set of the photos resides in the Pulitzer archives at Columbia University."
Miles Davis, Portland, 1966
10''x8'' fiber print, edition of 1
"Taken backstage at the Egyptian Theatre in Portald, Oregon of the great trumpet player. I was a 19-year-old staff photographer for the Oregon Journal, and when I was given the assignment to photograph him, I figured he would be cooperative, as most people I had photographed in my budding career were. He wasn't. After telling me to 'F*** off,' I was so shocked that I persisted, telling him I couldn't go back without a shot. He reluctantly agreed, but said, 'one picture, kid, and then get out of here.' I thought, well, now we're getting somewhere, figuring this would lead to more photos. I took the first frame under a light bulb, and got ready to take another. At that point he waved his horn at me, said, 'you got your f***ing shot, now get out.' THis is that (one) photograph."
Michael Jackson set of three "Remember the Time," 1992
11''x42'' fiber print, edition of 1
"Michael Jackson during the filming of the John Singleton-directed music video, 'Remember the Time.' The entertainer died at 50 years old, June 25, 2009. These are the original prints of a shoot I did with MJ that were shot during the film, the original negatives are in his estate, and will probably never be seen again."
Diana Ross, The Supremes, Portland, 1966
9.5''x10.5'' fiber print, signed, edition of 1
"Signed by me on the lower right of the print and signed by the subjects on the print, 'To Dave, Diana Ross, Supremes, Mary (Wilson), Florence (Ballard).' The following year in 1967, Ms. Ballad was replaced by Cindy Birdsong. Florence died at 32 years old in 1976."
George Harrison, Cabinet Room, 1974
18''x14'' fiber print, signed edition of 1
"This print was made in The White House lab, signed by me on the lower right mount and signed by George Harrison on the mount, 'To David - With thanks & love, George Harrison (featuring an Om sign made by him)."
Geroge Harrison and Billy Preston, 1974
18''x14'' fiber print, signed, edition of 1
"Official Photograph, The White House" stamp on back, date 13 Dec 74. Signed by Harrison and Preston, 'To Dave - 'great picture' George Harrison (with Om sign), To Dave, Musically Yours, Billy Preston.'"
Adam Clayton Powell in Watts, 1968
16''x20'' fiber print, edition of 1
"Harlem Congressman Adam Clayton Powell addresses a crowd in the Watts section of Los Angeles, January 10, 1968."
Robert F. Kennedy, 1966, Portland, Oregon
10''x9'' fiber print, edition of 1
"Photo taken and printed in 1966 of Kennedy speaking at the Labor Hall in Portland, Oregon as he campaigned for Democrats. This was the first time I had photographed a national political figure, and Kennedy made a huge impression on me. It was Robert Kennedy who made me want to become a photographer of politics."
Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Portland, 1966
16''x20'' fiber print, edition of 1
"Photo taken just minutes before Kennedy was gunned down by Sirhan Sirhan after winning the California Primary, June 5, 1968."
Ansel Adams, Carmel, 1979
14''x11'' fiber print, edition of 1
"This edition was a memorial edition honoring Ansel after his death at 82 (1902-1984) and is the last print left of the series. Ansel and I became close friends after I set up a meeting with him and President Ford in 1974. I was a frequent guest at Ansel and Virginia's home in Carmel , and also taught one year at his Yosemite workshop. Ansel was one of the niceset, and funniest people I have ever met, and I think of him often."
Ansel Adams TIME Cover & "The Cover That Missed", 1979
cover & c print, signed, unique (printed in 1984 in an edition of 25)
"The only photographer to appear on the cover of TIME, photo by me, signed by Ansel Adams, September 3, 1979. The Cover That Missed inscribed with, 'For David Hume Kennerly, The cover that Missed! Ansel Adams, NY-9-5-79' . The photograph underscores Ansel's playfulness and fine sense of humor. He had a pair of glasses with no lenses, and demonstrated them in a vivid visual fashion."
Deng Xiaoping, TIME Man of the Year, Jan. 6, 1986
original TIME cover, signed by Robert Rauschenberg
"Signed in pink paint by Robert Rauschenberg, 'For David, Rauschenberg'. This is an extremely rare piece. I shared credit with Rauschenberg for the cover, which read on the publisher's page inside the magazine, 'Collage by Robert Rauschenberg. Photograph of Deng by David Hume Kennerly."
Jacqueline Suzann, NYC 1969
20''x16'' fiber print, edition of 1
"'Valley of the Dolls' author Jacqueline Suzann in Central Park, photographed to promote her book, 'The Love Machine.' Ms. Suzann, acting very much like one of her fictional characters, invited me up to her place after the shoot for a cocktail and maybe more. Being a young UPI photographer with no experience in that particular league, I nervously fled back to the office, leaving the Love Machine author in a livid lurch."
O.J. Simpson, USC v. UCB, 1968
20''x16'' fiber print, edition of 1
"1968, O.J. runs through the Cal defense at LA's Memorial Coliseum. Simpson won the Heisman that year after rushing for more than 1,700 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns. This was not one of his pieces of memorabilia taken in Las Vegas, and in fact is the only known print of the photo."
Jonestown, 1978
8''x13'' chromogenic print, edition of 25
"Followers of Jim Jones lie dead on the ground where they fell after a mass suicide/murder in Jonestown, Guyana. More than 900 people died at the scene. This was the worst story I have ever covered, and is the only one that has given me nightmares."
Cambodian Refugee Girl, Phnom Penh, 1975
14''x11'' fiber print, edition of 5
"Made by Ansel Adams, signed and dated left side under the photo, 'Print by Ansel Adams, 8.13.75', signed and dated at right under photo, 1/5 David Hume Kennerly when the photo was taken, 3.29.75.' This photograph won a first prize in the Wolrd Press Photo Contest in 1976. This is one of the few prints Ansel ever made for someone else, and the first time, and maybe the last that he actually signed a print of a picture he didn't take. Ansel and I were friends, and he made the prints as a favor for me. One copy is in his archive, another in President Ford's library, and the other two with private individuals."
Twelve Angry Men, Remake, 1997
16''x20'' fiber print, unique print
"Signed by me and the cast: Jack Lemmon, Hume Cronyn, Edward James Olmos, William Peterson, Courtney B. Vance, Ossie Davis, George C. Scott, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Tony Danza, Dorian Harewood, and James Gandolfini. (Mykelti Williamson, also in the photo chose not to sign any of the 25 limited edition prints). William Friedkin directed the remake of the classic film for HBO."
Igor Stravinsky, Portland, 1966
14''x11'' fiber print, signed, edition of 1
"Signed by me and Stravinsky, 'To Dave Kennerly with gratitude, Igor Stravinsky.' Stravinsky was in Portland to conduct his "Rites of Spring" played by the Portland Symphony, and I took a photo over for him to sign, which he did as he sat in his dressing room backstage."
President Ford Official Photo, 1974
20''x16'' lithograph
"Photo I took as the official White House photographer, signed by Persident Ford, 1974. This is a portrait I took of the President the first week he was in office. I posed it in front of the flags in the Oval Office, using only natural light. This photo was the version that hung in every government building, embassy and White House office."
Robert Kennedy Arrives in Los Angeles, 1968
11''x14'' fiber print
"Senator Robert F. Kennedy arrives in LosAngeles to campaign for President in the California Primary. He was shot two days later after winning the Primary."
Fireside Summit, Geneva, 1985
11''x14'' chromogenic print, edition 32 of 110
"The exclusive photo of American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is also autographed by Gorbachev, who personally signed 110 of the photos at his dacha outside Moscow Feb. 18, 1995. That information is handwritten on the back of the piece by me. The historic Summit in Geneva, Switzerland was their first meeting. My coverage of their meeting won me the 1985 Overseas Press Club Olivier Rebbot award, for 'Best Reporting with a Still Camera Overseas'."
San Francisco State College Confrontation, 1967
11''x14''fiber print, edition of 1
"A policeman with a drawn gun holds back demonstrators who attackd the Administration Building at San Francisco State College in 1967. The unruly mob was trying to get to the school's president S.I. Hayakawa. During the coverage of the event I was beaten by the cops and stoned by the students, so my photos were truly objective!"
Mia Farrow, New York, 1970
10''x8'' fiber print, edition of 1
"'Rosemary's Baby' star Mia Farrow in her trailer in Central Park during the filming of 'John and Mary,' also starring Dustin Hoffman, and directed by Peter Yates. This was one of the few showbiz assignments I covered during my career."
"Sweet Lou" Piniella, Portland, 1966
16''x20'' fiber print, edition 1 of 10
"Lou Piniella as a Portland Beaver during his two years there as a minor league player on the Cleveland Indians farm team, Portland, Oregon, 1966. Piniella is currently the manager of the Chicago Cubs."
Nixon Bids Farewell Proofsheet (close up), August 9, 1974, Washington, DC
Nixon Bids Farewell Proofsheet (close up), August 9, 1974, Washington, DC
Nixon Bids Farewell Proofsheet, August 9, 1974, Washington, DC
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ARTICLE
Los Angeles examiner.com article
by: Ronald Talley
CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE
Biography
James Earl Jones said, "David Hume Kennerly is like Forrest Gump, except he was really there."
Kennerly has been shooting on the front lines of history for more than 40 years. He has photographed eight wars, as many U.S. presidents, and he has traveled to dozens of countries along the way.
At 25, the Roseburg, Oregon native won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for his photos of the Vietnam War, and two years later was appointed President Gerald R. Ford's personal photographer. He has been presented with numerous other honors, among them the Overseas Press Club's Olivier Rebbot Award for "Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad," for his coverage of Reagan and Gorbachev's historic first summit meeting in Geneva. He was named, "One of the 100 Most Important People in Photography" by American Photo Magazine.
Kennerly was nominated for a Primetime Emmy as executive producer of NBC's, "The Taking of Flight 847," and was writer and executive producer of a two-hour NBC pilot, "Shooter," starring Helen Hunt, based on his Vietnam experiences. "Shooter" won the Emmy for "Outstanding Cinematography." He is executive producer of the recent documentary, "Portraits of a Lady," starring former Justice Sandra Day O'Conner, which made the short list of films eligible for the 2008 Academy Award nominations.
Kennerly has been on the masthead of Time Magazine, John F. Kennedy, Jr's George magazine, Life magazine, and was a contributing editor for Newsweek magazine for ten years. He has more than 50 major magazine covers to his credit.
He has published several books of his work, Shooter, Photo Op, Sein Off: The Final Days of Seinfeld, Photo du Jour, and Extraordinary Circumstances: The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. Most recently he produced Barack Obama: The Official Inagural Book, with Bob McNeely, who was President Clinton's official White House photographer. He also provided some exclusive behind-the-scenes photographs of President Obama for the project. An exhibition of photographs from the book was mounted in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. that was seen by more than a million people.
Kennerly is on the Board of Trustees of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, and the Atlanta Board of Visitors of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). His archive is housed at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas, Austin. He recently directed a commercial starring former mayor Ed Koch, shot for New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Artist Satement
If O.J. Simpson had called me instead of heisting his own memorabilia in Las Vegas, he might not be in jail today. One of the items he snatched during the botched robbery was a photo I took of him and his family with President Ford in the White House in 1976, a picture that he said he wanted back for his kids. I would have given him a copy, and happily surrendered it without a fight!" - David Hume Kennerly
Curriculum Vitae
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2010 If Only O.J. Had Called Me: A Forty Year Photographic Retrospective, 1970-2010, Frank Pictures Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2004 Photo du Jour, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX
2002 Photo du Jour, Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building, Washington, DC
SELECTED AWARD
2003 White House Press Photographer's contest, awarded five prizes
2001 Named one of the top 50 journalists, only photographer listed, Washington Magazine
2001 White House Press Photographer's contest, awarded five prizes
2000 First Place, Best Campaign Coverage, White House Press Photographer's contest
1997 President's Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Greater Los Angeles Pres Club
1989 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama as Executive Producer of NBC's The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story
1986 Olivier Rebbot Award, Overseas Press Club Award for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad
1976 Two First Place prizes for Cambodian coverage, World Press Photo contest
1972 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
First place, National Press Photographers' contest
PUBLICATIONS
Barack Obama: The Official Inaugural Book, Five Ties Publishing
Extraordinary Circumstances: The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford, University of Texas Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
Photo Du Jour: A Picture-A-Day Journey through the First Year of the New Millennium, University of Texas Press, 2002 (Photo Du Jour named one of American Photo Magazine's Best Photo books of 2002).
Sein Off: The Final Days of Seinfeld, HarperCollins, 1998
Photo Op: A Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographer Covers Events That Shaped Our Times, University of Texas Press, 1995
Shooter, Newsweek Books, 1979
