The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Billy Eckstine–Royal Roost, NYC
1948
(American, 1923–2010)
Image: 43.6 x 36.8 cm (17 3/16 x 14 1/2 in.); Paper: 50.3 x 40.5 cm (19 13/16 x 15 15/16 in.)
Gift of George Stephanopoulos 2012.359
Location: not on view
Description
A passion for jazz attracted Herman Leonard, now recognized as the preeminent photographer of that art form, to New York City in 1948. Working days as a freelance photographer for magazines, he spent nights shooting at jazz clubs, including the Royal Roost near Times Square, trading his pictures for entrance fees. He brought the techniques of street photography to bear on live performances. Here, he captured the intensity and emotion of a concert by jazz singer Billy Eckstine, who recorded more than a dozen hits during the late 1940s.- Unknown before acquisition by George Stephanopoulos.
- A New York Minute: Street Photography, 1920-1950. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 11-November 7, 2021).
- {{cite web|title=Billy Eckstine–Royal Roost, NYC|url=false|author=Herman Leonard|year=1948|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2012.359