Todd Eberle & Glenn O'Brien

This artists dialogue, recorded at the New York Public Library on Feb. 9, 2011, pairs art historian Glenn O'Brien with photographer Todd Eberle in a discussion on his book of photographs: Empire of Space. Eberle discusses what makes a photograph successful; how Walker Evans influenced his approach to making and sequencing photographs; why Jasper Johns is a sucker for faxes; and why there are some photographs that resist being paired. Plus, how was it possible for a pro bono photography assignment to interest Eberle? Hint: it involves a house...

The beginning of Eberle's career as a photographer starts with a familiar story of a sixteen-year-old boy who took his grandmother's K1000 camera to photograph Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water. The rest of Eberle's story is anything but typical. Eberle has photographed everything from computer parts and radios (Art International Radio proudly hangs a series of these photographs in its galleries) to presidents to Martha Stewart. He is Photographer at Large for Vanity Fair, and is represented by Gagosian Gallery. Eberle is also the editorial director for Art in America and former editor of Interview Magazine.

The Artist Dialogues Series at the New York Public Library pairs artists with critics, curators, gallerists, writers or other artists to converse about art and the potential of exploring new ideas. The series is curated and hosted by Arezoo Moseni, artist and Senior Librarian.

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