Joel Meyerowitz (American, b.1938) is a Contemporary photographer born in New York. He attended Ohio State University in Columbus from 1956 until 1959, and upon graduation, began a career as an advertising art director in New York. Inspired by the photography of Robert Frank (American, b.1924), Meyerowitz began working full-time as a self-taught, freelance photographer in 1963. He shot scenes throughout New York City, both indoors and outside. During the 1960s, Meyerowitz was an early proponent of color photography, and was among the first to create successful color compositions. Madison Avenue and 60th Street (1976) is a noteworthy example of his work and style. Currently, Meyerowitz works exclusively in color. His first book, Cape Light, is a photographic essay depicting Cape Cod, MA. Since its publication in 1979, it has sold over 100,000 copies. Meyerowitz has taught color photography at Princeton University in New Jersey, and the Cooper Union in New York, and his work has been displayed in more than 350 exhibitions worldwide. He is the recipient of two Guggenheim Fellowships, as well as awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His photographs are included in the collections of the Boston Museum of Fine Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, among many others.
