Ron Galella

Ronald Edward Galella (January 10, 1931 – April 30, 2022) was an American photographer, known as a pioneer paparazzo. Dubbed "Paparazzo Extraordinaire" by Newsweek and "the Godfather of the U.S. paparazzi culture" by Time magazine and Vanity Fair, he is regarded by Harper's Bazaar as "arguably the most controversial paparazzo of all time".

During his career, Galella took more than three million photographs of public figures.

Early life Galella was born in New York City on January 10, 1931, in a family of Italian heritage. His father, Vincenzo, was an immigrant from Muro Lucano, Basilicata, who manufactured pianos and coffins; and worked as a crochet beader.

Galella served as a United States Air Force photographer from 1951 to 1955, including during the Korean War. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, People, In his in-home darkroom, Galella made his own prints which have been exhibited at museums and galleries throughout the world, including the MoMA in New York City, the Tate Modern in London, and the Helmut Newton Foundation Museum of Photography in Berlin.

In 2009, his father's hometown of Muro Lucano made Galella an honorary citizen. He was the subject of a 2010 documentary film by Leon Gast entitled Smash His Camera. The film's title is a quote from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis directed to her security agent after Galella pursued her and her children through Central Park, New York. winning the Grand Jury Award for Directing in the U.S. Documentary category. It also received positive reviews at the 54th BFI London Film Festival before it aired on the BBC. The 1972 free-speech trial Galella v. Onassis resulted in a restraining order to keep Galella 50 yards (later changed to 25 feet) away from Onassis. He was found guilty of breaking this order four times and faced seven years in jail and a $120,000 fine; later settling for a $10,000 fine and surrendering his rights to photograph Jackie and her children. to sue Brando and ultimately settled for US$40,000. Schlesinger reported in the 2010 documentary Smash His Camera that Galella received two-thirds, but only cared about getting the message out, "I don't want anyone to think they can go around punching me if I am taking their picture. Get that story out, not the money." The next time Galella chased Brando, he wore a football helmet.

Galella once lost a tooth when he was beaten by Richard Burton's security guards. He unsuccessfully sued the actor. Elizabeth Taylor, who tended to be tolerant towards photographers, was often heard to mutter, "I'm going to kill Ron Galella!", although the actress would later use his photographs in her biography. and Sean Penn, who spat at him and reportedly punched him while being photographed with his then-wife Madonna.

In spite of these controversies, art galleries across the world have valued his work for its artistic and socio-historical value. He was praised by Andy Warhol, who said: "My idea of a good picture is one that's in focus and of a famous person doing something unfamous. It's being in the right place at the wrong time. That's why my favorite photographer is Ron Galella." was included among "The Most Influential Images of All Time" by Time magazine in 2016.

Personal life Galella married Betty Lou Burke in 1979. She worked as a photo editor for Today Is Sunday,

After retiring as a paparazzo, Galella was active as a photographer at prominent culture events. He resided in Montville, New Jersey, during his later years.

Soho Gallery, 1972, New York City G. Ray Hawkins Gallery, 1976, New York City Rizzoli Gallery, 1976, New York City Union Carbide, 1977, New York City William Lyons Gallery, 1980 Coconut Grove, Florida Octagon Club, 1987, New York City Nikon Gallery, 1993, New York City Serge Sorokko Gallery, 1997, New York City Andy Warhol Museum, Ron Galella Retrospective, June 2002 – September 2002 Pittsburgh, PA Paul Kasmin Gallery, The Photographs of Ron Galella, 2002, New York City Holt-Renfrew, Flick, 2003 Toronto, Canada Photology, Ron Galella Exclusive Diary, 2004 Milan, Italy Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, The Photographs of Ron Galella, 2004/5, Amsterdamn, Netherlands Artelibro Festival of Art and Books, Ron Galella Exclusive Diary: Caught Off-Guard, 2005, Bologna, Italy Ferragamo Gallery, Ron Galella Exclusive Diary: Caught Off-Guard, 2005, New York City Kunstforum, Superstars: From Warhol to Madonna, 2005/6 PowerHouse Arena, Ron Galella: The Kennedy, New York City Paul Kasmin Gallery, Disco Years, 2005/6, New York City Buro Beelende Kunst Vlissinger Ron Galella: The One and Only Paparazzo, Brooklyn, New York Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, Disco Years, 2006/7, Amsterdamn, Netherlands PowerHouse Arena, Warhol is Dead!, 2007 The Gershwin Hotel – 2007, New York City PowerHouse Arena, That 70's Show, 2007 Brooklyn, New York The Museum of Modern Art, Iconic Photos of Ron Galella acquired into collection, 2007, New York City The Museum of Modern Art, Iconic Photos of Ron Galella acquired into collection, 2008, New York City The Tate Modern Museum, Street + Studio: An Urban History of Photography, 2008 London, England The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Warhol by Galella: That's Great!, 2008–Present Hollywood, CA Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, Warhol by Galella: That's Great!, 2008–Present Amsterdam, Netherlands Staly-Wise Gallery, Warhol by Galella: That's Great!, 2008–Present, New York City GMW Law Offices, Offguard: Ron Galella Photography, 2008–Present Den Haag, Netherlands Helmut Newton Foundation Museum of Photography, Pigozzi and the Paparazzi, 2008 Berlin, Germany Hamburger Bahnfof Museum Fur Gegenwart, Celebrities: Andy Warhol and the Stars 2008/9 Palazzo Lanfranchi, Carlo Levi Hall, Ron Galella: Italian Icons, 2009, Matera, Italy Archeology Museum of Muro Lucano, Viva l'Italia, 2009–Present La Casa Encendida, 2009, Madrid, Spain MART Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Picturing New York: Photographs from the Museum of Modern Art, 2009, Rovereto, Italy Centaur Theatre Company, Viva l'Italia, 2009, Montreal, Canada Irish Museum of Modern Art, Picturing New York: Photographs from the Museum of Modern Art, 2009/10, Dublin Lena Di Gangi Gallery, The Photographs of Ron Galella, 2009/10, Totawa, NJ PowerHouse Arena, Man in the Mirror: Michael Jackson by Ron Galella, 2009, Brooklyn, NY Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands- Ron Galella: Paparazzo Extraordinaire!, 2012 Galerie La Flo, St. Tropex France, Boxing with the Stars, 2012 Fundación Novacaixagalicia, Ron Galella: Paparazzo Extraordinaire!, La Coruña, Spain, 2013/14, Pontevedra, Spain, 2014 Centre Pompidou Paparazzi!, Metz, France, Photographers, Stars, and Artists, 2014 Staley-Wise Gallery, Pop, Rock & Dance, 2013/14, New York City Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland, 2014 Albertina, Blow-Up -Vienna, Austria, 2014 Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany, Paparazzi! Photographers, Stars, and Artists, 2014 Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland, Paparazzi! Photographers, Stars, and Artists, 2014/15 C/O Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Blow-Up, 2015 Photology Noto, Noto, Sicily, Vintage Galella, 2015 Photology Garzón, Garzón, Uruguay, Vintage Galella, 2016 Staley Wise Gallery, New York City, 55 Years a Paparazzi, 2015 Int'l Center for Photography, New York City, Public, Private Secret, 2017 Photology Online Gallery, Exclusive Diary, 2021 Palazzo Sarcinelli, Conegliano, Italy, Ron Galella, Paparazzo Superstar, 2022