Robert will be speaking at the museum on Sunday September 26th, 2010 with a reception immediately following.

I have known Laurent since 1986 when he started writing code and building a search engine for Sygma, the agency where I worked. He was one of the pioneer programmers to work with a photo agency. His approach was daring and the tools he used were unheard of at the time in the photo agency world: Unix, 4GL code and other technologies that integrated Search, Traffic, Accounting at a dazzling speed. He was a designer, an innovator and a creator that saw the big picture, yet always looked for the "nimble" solution, practical, fast and elegant.

A jazz player and aficionado (soprano sax) he named his servers Gordon, Duke, Mingus, among other Jazz greats, and rightly so as the pages of his systems unfold like a symphony. He was fond of photography and photographers. He appreciated their technical ability and saw much in common between their work and his. He was always available to guide them and show them "computer" tricks, many will miss him.

As I write these words, I also think of how much he will be missed by the staff at Polaris and myself. He was present for us at all hours, finding solutions and improving the system. Laurent was with me when I started Polaris in September 2002 and his tech support is an invaluable contribution to the agency's success and longevity during a time that saw the industry move from partially to fully digital. About five years ago during a trip to Perpignan for the Visa Photojournalism festival, Laurent met Julia Lucke and fell in love. Soon, they were married and their first boy Dexter was born, followed shortly after by Oscar.

Laurent, thanks for all the good work and all the good times. While up there and till we join you, just blow the horn and, if you feel the urge to "move electrons rather than atoms," then write a few lines of code between notes.

jpp
06/22/2010

See below the information for the June 24 memorial. If you can not attend and wish to send a message, please do so to my attention: jpp@PolarisImages.com

The work of the finalists will be exhibited at Arsenal des Carmes, and the winner will be announced during the evening projection on September 3rd.

Visa pour l’Image will feature the work of Sarah Caron in the exhibit and projection, "Talibanistan". Between October 2007 and May 2009, Sarah Caron went to Pakistan five times, staying for extended periods. Her report on the Pashtun region shows the everyday life of men and women caught up in the midst of the conflict over the strategic political and economic interests of the 21st century.

Scout Tufankjian will be featured in a projection of her images from Barack Obama's Presidential campaign, as well as at a book signing, at the Couvent des Minimes, of her New York Times bestseller, "Yes We Can: Barack Obama's History-Making Presidential Campaign".

Allan Tannenbaum's exhibition at the Not Fade Away Gallery features images from the new edition of his first book, "New York in the 70s." This new exhibit contains many images from the 70s and early 80s that have never before been printed.

The reception and auction will be held Thursday, July 9th, 2009 between 6:00 and 10:00 PM:

Not Fade Away Gallery
12 E. 20th Street, Floor 2, between 5th and Broadway
New York City

For more information, please visit Not Fade Away Gallery

The exhibit runs from May 29 through June 25 at:

Not Fade Away Gallery
12 E. 20th Street, Floor 2, between 5th and Broadway
New York City

For more information, please visit Not Fade Away Gallery.

This project investigates the increasing global neglect of refugees and people internally displaced by conflict and persecution, and includes images from Israel and Colombia. For more information, please visit the Houston Center for Photography.

Known for his photographs of Pope John Paul II – whose papacy he covered from beginning to end – Giansanti had his work featured on a total of three Time magazine covers and covered a wide variety of stories including famine in Africa, designer Yves Saint-Laurent, the Olympic Games, Formula 1 racing, and many other in-depth subjects and portraits. His first break came when, as a young news photographer, he was the only one to photograph Red Brigade kidnap victim former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro, dead in the trunk of a car. The image garnered him his first Time cover and he subsequently joined the Sygma agency, where he stayed on for some 20 years. Since 2002 he has been represented by Grazia Neri and Polaris Images.

To see more of Giansanti's work, please visit Time magazine.

The exhibition will coincide with the release of the first American edition, by Overlook Press, of Tannenbaum’s critically acclaimed book, "New York in the 70s," displaying a diverse collection of photographs; including a personal reminiscence by Yoko Ono, and foreword by P.J. O’Rourke. The book will be available for purchase at the exhibition, along with a limited number signed by the artist.

"Bright Lights, Big City: New York in the 70s" will launch with a private, invite only reception on April 2, from 7:00-11:00 pm. The exhibition will then be open to the public from April 3-14 at art in tune – 7775 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. For more information, please visit art in tune.