Arnold Newman
Arnold Abner Newman (March 3, 1918 – June 6, 2006) was an American photographer, noted for his "environmental portraits" of artists and politicians. He was also known for his carefully composed abstract still life images. In 2006, he was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.
Also recorded as Arnold Abner Newman · Abner Newman
Arnold Newman

Rochester Institute of Technology · News Events 1981 at the RIT Digital Archive · Public domain
- Name
- Arnold Newman
- Birth Name
- Arnold Abner Newman
- Born
- 3 March 1918
- Birthplace
- Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
- Died
- 6 June 2006
- Place of death
- New York City, U.S.
- Field
- Portrait Photography News Photography Photography Teacher
- Movement
- Environmental Portraiture (founder/coined phrase)
- Awards
- Infinity Award (1999) Lucie Award (2004)
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- photographer
- Fields
- portrait
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Arnold Abner Newman (March 3, 1918 – June 6, 2006) was an American photographer, noted for his "environmental portraits" of artists and politicians. He was also known for his carefully composed abstract still life images. In 2006, he was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.
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Authority files
gnd · 1022218395 · wikidata · Q695853 · wikipedia · Arnold Newman
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Arnold Newman • Birth Name — Arnold Abner Newman • Born — 3 March 1918 • Birthplace — Manhattan, New York City, U.S. • Died — 6 June 2006 • Place of death — New York City, U.S. • Field — Portrait Photography News Photography Photography Teacher • Movement — Environmental Portraiture (founder/coined phrase) • Works — Fortune Life Newsweek • Website — https: arnoldnewman.com/ • Awards — Infinity Award (1999) Lucie Award (2004)
Early life and education
Early life and education
Newman was born March 3, 1918, in Manhattan to a Jewish family. He grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and later moved to Miami Beach, Florida. His parents owned hotels in both Atlantic City and Miami Beach, and would spend winters in Florida and summers in New Jersey. He attended Atlantic City High School and graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School. In 1936, he studied painting and drawing at the University of Miami. Unable to afford to continue after two years, he moved to Philadelphia to work for a studio, making 49-cent portraits in 1938.
Career
Career
• Illustration — Newman photographing then President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office in December 1981 • Illustration — Newman's photograph of Igor Stravinsky, now housed at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek, Denmark In 1942, Newman returned to Florida to manage a portrait studio in West Palm Beach, Florida. Three years later, he opened his own business in Miami Beach. In 1946, Newman relocated to New York City, where he opened Arnold Newman Studios and worked as a freelance photographer for Fortune, Life, and Newsweek. Though never a member, Newman frequented the Photo League during the 1940s. Newman photographed well-known celebrities, including Marlene Dietrich, John F. Kennedy, Harry S. Truman, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Mickey Mantle, and Audrey Hepburn. However, he maintained that even if the subject is not known, or is already forgotten, the photograph itself must still excite and interest the viewer. Newman is often credited with being the photographer who articulated and who consistently employed the genre of environmental portraiture, in which the photographer uses a carefully framed and lit setting, and its contents, to symbolize the individual's life and work; a well known example being his portrait of Igor Stravinsky in which the lid of his grand piano forms a gargantuan musical note representative of the melodic structure of the composer's work. Newman normally captured his subjects in their most familiar surroundings with representative visual elements showing their professions and personalities. A musician for instance might be photographed in their recording studio or on stage, a Senator or other politician in their office or a representative building. Using a large-format camera and tripod, he worked to record every detail of a scene. "I didn't just want to make a photograph with some things in the background," Newman told American Photo magazine in an interview. "The surroundings had to add to the composition and the understanding of the person. No matter who the subject was, it had to be an interesting photograph. Just to simply do a portrait of a famous person doesn't mean a thing." Newman's best-known images were in black and white, although he often photographed in color. His 1946 black and white portrait of Stravinsky seated at a grand piano became his signature image, even though it was rejected by Harper's Bazaar, the magazine that gave the assignment to Newman. He was one of the few photographers allowed to make a portrait of the famously camera-shy Henri Cartier-Bresson. Among Newman's best-known color images is an eerie portrait from 1963 that shows former Nazi industrialist and minister of armament Alfried Krupp in one of Krupp's factories. Newman admits his personal feelings influenced his portrayal of Krupp. Newman taught photography at Cooper Union for many years. On December 19, 2005, Newman made his last formal portrait of director James Burrows at the NBC studio on the Saturday Night Live stage. This session was particularly special for Newman because he had photographed Burrows' father Abe Burrows several times.
Death
Death
Newman was recovering from a stroke at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City, when he died on June 6, 2006.
Identity
Identity
Indexed under Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Esophageal and GI Pathology, Diverticular Disease and Complications, Potassium and Related Disorders, Metastasis and carcinoma case studies. Associated with University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Recorded as United States.

From News and Events, a newsletter published by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Rochester Institute of Technology · News Events 1981 at the RIT Digital Archive
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1918
Arnold Newman born at New York City.
2006
Arnold Newman died at New York City.
Recognition and collections
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
Arnold Newman received Lucie Award, honorary doctor of the University of Miami and Royal Photographic Society Award.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1022218395, Exhibition Masterclass: Arnold Newman (2012-2013 : Berlin u.a.).
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
- VIAF cluster 19786207 for Arnold Newman, aggregating national library name authorities.
General reference · OCLC
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q695853: Arnold Newman
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Arnold Newman”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly index
- OpenAlex author record A5043083824 for Arnold Newman.
General reference · OpenAlex
Awards
• 1985 Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism, Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri • 1999 Infinity Award for Master of Photography, International Center of Photography, Manhattan • 2004 Lucie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Portrait Photography, International Photography Awards program, Los Angeles, California • 2004 He was awarded The Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship (HonFRPS) in recognition of a sustained, significant contribution to the art of photography. • 2006 Newman was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Bradner, Liesl. Arnold Newman, father of the environmental portrait, is back in focus on 100th birthday. Los Angeles Times. 2019-06-13.
- 2.Merkoski, Paul. "For Arnold Newman...", The Press of Atlantic City, December 8, 1974. Accessed February 20, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Spending his summers in Atlantic City and his winters in Florida, Newman changed schools often. 'When we were here I went to the Pennsylvania Avenue School, the junior high school and Atlantic City senior high' he said"
- 3.Arnold Newman bio at The Jewish Museum.
- 4.Flukinger, Roy. Arnold Newman : at work. Austin University of Texas Press. 38, 64. 2013. 978-0-292-74491-2.
- 5.Harris, Mark Edward. ARNOLD NEWMAN: the stories behind some of the most famous portraits in the 20th century. American Photo. Hachette Filipacchi. 36–38. March–April 2000.
- 6.Getty Images. Behind the lens: Arnold Newman (7). gettyimages.com.
- 7.Grundberg, Andy. Arnold Newman, Portrait Photographer Who Captured the Essence of His Subjects, Dies at 88. The New York Times. June 7, 2006.
- 8.Getty Images. Behind the lens: Arnold Newman (11). gettyimages.com.
- 9.Stories about Arnold. Arnold Newman Archive. 2006.
- 10.Death of Arnold Newman reported by MSNBC
- 11.Missouri School of Journalism. Missouri Honor Medal Winners: Individuals.
- 12.Newman's biography at the ICP website for his 1999 Infinity Award
- 13.2004 Lucie Award information
- 14.Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Award.
- 15.Arnold Newman. International Photography Hall of Fame.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 11
- Little, Brown and Co. One mind's eye : the portraits and other photographs of Arnold Newman. 1974. 978-0-8212-0732-1.
- Paddington Press : Distributed by Grosset & Dunlap. Interviews with master photographers: Minor White, Imogen Cunningham, Cornell Capa, Elliott Erwitt, Yousuf Karsh, Arnold Newman, Lord Snowdon, Brett Weston. 1977.
- Newman, Arnold. Artists: Portraits from Four Decades. Little Brown & Co. 1980. 978-0821210994.
- Collins. Arnold Newman. 1984. 978-0-00-411955-7.
- Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Arnold Newman, five decades. 1986. 978-0-15-107900-1.
- D.R. Godine in association with Norton Gallery of Art. Arnold Newman in Florida. 1988. 978-0-87923-740-0.
- Sidney Janis Gallery. Arnold Newman : collages, vintage prints, recent photographs. 1988.
- Taschen. Arnold Newman. 2006. 978-3-8228-2592-1.
- Flukinger, Roy. Arnold Newman: At Work (Harry Ransom Center Photography Series). University of Texas Press. 2013. 978-0292744912.
- Radius Books; New York, NY : Howard Greenberg Gallery. Arnold Newman : one hundred. 2018. 978-1-942185-52-9.
- David R. Godine. Arnold Newman artists' photographs. 2010. 978-1-56792-415-2.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1022218395, Exhibition Masterclass: Arnold Newman (2012-2013 : Berlin u.a.).Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessscholarly index
Secondary witnessauthority file
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q695853: Arnold NewmanWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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