Herb Elliott, Breaking World's Record 1500 meter, Olympics, Rome
Maker
Newman, Marvin E.
American, b.1927
Date1960; printed 2002
MediumGelatin silver print
Dimensionsimage: 9 1/4 in x 7 1/4 in; mat: 20 in x 16 in
Credit LineGift of Joseph Huebner
Object number2004:59
About the ArtistMarvin Newman studied photography as an undergraduate at Brooklyn College in the 1940s with Walter Rosenblum and Bernice Abott. During this time, he also joined the Photo League, which was in itself a training ground for a generation of photographers in New York. After receiving his BA in 1949, Newman enrolled at Chicago's renowned Institute of Design. There, he studied with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind, and in 1952, he was one of the first students to complete an MS in photography. During his time in Chicago, Newman cultivated a talent for street photography, which he would continue to pursue in the following years after returning to New York in 1953. Although he continued to draw on the methods and teachings of his accomplished professors, Newman chose to follow a different path professionally and he soon began working as a photojournalist. His photographs have since been published in magazines such as LIFE, Look, Newsweek, and Esquire.
Some of Newman's greatest achievements have been as a sports photographer and he began contributing to Sports Illustrated in 1953, the year it was launched by TIME Magazine founder Henry Luce. In 1960, Newman was the magazine's official photographer at the Olympic Games in Rome. There he documented, among other events, the 1500m race in which Australian middle-distance runner Herb Elliott broke the world record. In this image and others, Newman captures the athlete during a pivotal moment in the event and communicates a powerful sense of exertion.
