Photography

Özkök, Lutfi

Claude Simon

1980. Very large colour photo 50 x 72 cm.

A few small surface losses, the largest 3 x 1 cm. A couple of creases in the margins.

A very interesting and a bit confusing image due to the enormous collage on the wall behind Simon. Just over his left shoulder a naked Alen Ginsberg. No other copy of this photo seems to have been on the market. This is probably the only copy in existence. Özkök´s photographs have a special magic quality to them, maybe because he was a poet first. He manages to capture the soul of his subjects. Some of his photos are truly iconic, such as the world famous portrait of Samuel Beckett. He photographed most of the literary giants of the 20th century were off 37 were Nobel Price winners, all portrayed before they received the Nobel Price. In literary circles people even talked about how it was necessary to be photographed by Özkök to have a chance to win the Nobel Price. He was born in 1923 and grew up in Istanbul, studied in Vienna and Paris and moved to Sweden in the 1950s to live with his Swedish love Marie. He lived in Sweden until his death in 2017. There is a copy right stamp at the back reading "Lutfi Özkök SFF, Stamgatan 59 125 39 Älvsjö Tel 08-912527, Sweden", as well as a label with hand written text "Claude Simon 1980". Also at the back, signed in pencil "Lütfi Özkök".

Item No: 4247