Great Villa-Lobos Portraits by Arnold Newman

On September 15, 1951 Heitor Villa-Lobos spent the day with photographer Arnold Newman at the New Weston Hotel in New York. Villa-Lobos is one of the most photogenic of composers, but these shots are among the most impressive ever taken of him.

My favourite Newman portrait is this one of the composer at rest. Villa is in charge here, and Newman gives him his own space.

Then the great portrait photographer takes over, and does some serious psychological searching with this close-up.

It's a tribute to Villa's worldwide fame that he attracted so many fine portrait photographers. Among my favourites: Erich Auerbach; Genevieve Naylor; Roger Viollet; Constantin Joffe & Luis Lemus from Vogue; and Thomas D. Mcavoy, J. Siegelman & most especially W. Eugene Smith from Life Magazine.