Julius Shulman Photography
June 24, 2010 in Art by Elliott
Recently deceased, Julius Shulman was a master architectural photographer, made famous by his sublime photographs of California modernist houses by Pierre Koenig and Richard Neutra. I first became aware of Shulman by a newspaper article on a show of his here in New York five years ago. Ever since then, I’ve been obsessed, and had the iconic images of Case Study House #22 and the Kaufman House stuck in my head. My dream is to own an exhibition print of one of those two pieces.
I own an 8×10 Shulman print, the kind that the architecture firm would show their clients. This is the best way to own a piece of Shulman’s work, as many of these exist. The curious thing is that Shulman was not thought of as an artist at the time – he was simply taking excellent photos of houses for the purposes of architectural business. Only later in life did Shulman exhibit in galleries and museums once his genius as an artist was recognized. These 8×10 prints can be had on eBay every once in awhile for $100-$400, while the exhibition grade 16×20 prints fetch up to $10,000. There are also several excellent books showcasing his work.
