WESTWOOD GALLERY NYC is pleased to present the exhibition, My Kennedy Years, Curated by James Cavello, November 22, 2013 through January 11, 2014. The exhibition includes over 50 photographs by Jacques Lowe (1930-2001) depicting rare and historic moments he captured of John F. Kennedy and family during his campaign and presidency. The exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s death on November 22, 1963. Westwood Gallery NYC represented photographer Jacques Lowe and presented the final exhibition prior to his death in 2001; My Kennedy Years exhibition is also a tribute to the photographer.
Jacques Lowe was a 26 year old freelance journalist in 1956 when he met Robert Kennedy. Because of Lowe’s photojournalistic talent, he was assigned by three magazines within the same week to photograph Chief Counsel Kennedy. Robert Kennedy wondered if Lowe was the only photographer representing all printed magazines. Jacques Lowe and Robert Kennedy became friends and Lowe was invited to spend weekends at Kennedy’s Hickory Hill home in Virginia. Joseph Kennedy, Sr. was impressed with Lowe’s photographs and requested he photograph his other son ‘John’. Although the initial meeting between Lowe and Senator Jack Kennedy was not an auspicious start, they later connected due to Lowe’s honorable approach to his photographs. Lowe was provided unprecedented access to the private and professional life of one of the most iconic leaders of the 20th century, as well as members of his family.
Over several years he took 40,000 photographs of the couple and their children. The legendary images depict a period covering the intense Presidential campaign trail along with intimate family moments and early years in the White House. Jacques Lowe’s photographs were a powerful visual force that shaped the public’s perception of the Kennedy family and have remained the essential documentary of the charismatic personality of Jack Kennedy and the historical period. The exhibition recounts both the story of these mythical years and the president who, in Lowe’s own words, “empowered each one of us to believe we could make a difference”. Also on exhibit is video of Jacques Lowe speaking about his Kennedy photographs.
Lowe died in May 2001, and his original negatives, which were stored in a World Trade Center bank vault, were lost during the September 11 terrorist attacks. Only 10 negatives, which were out on loan at the time, have survived. The prints in this exhibition are from the Estate of Jacques Lowe’s collection of vintage and modern fine art prints, printed and signed by Lowe prior to his death. Accompanying the exhibition is the book, The Kennedy Years: A Memoir by Jacques Lowe, published by Rizzoli.
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