With great pleasure, The Brucie Collections gallery calls attention of the true modern art photo admirers to the works of Michael Kenna. For the first time the Ukrainian audience have an opportunity to see original photographs from the author, whose landscapes have been a benchmark and an example for numerous photo artists for over 30 years. Without overstatement Michael Kenna is a real guru of modern black and white photography.      

Born in 1953 in Lancashire, England, Michael Kenna spent seven few years in a seminary boarding school before choosing the life of an artist over the career of a Catholic priest. He continued his studies at the Banbury School of Art and then the London College of Printing, where he graduated with distinction in 1976. After moving to the USA, Kenna started working as an assistant with Ruth Bernhard, “the queen of photo printing”. It was under her guidance that the young photographer developed his own recognizable style and the technique he stays true to up today. Michael Kenna is a convinced “analogue”, film photographer and dark room printer. His work printing negatives may take months if not years. Michael Kenna lives and works in Seattle and spends a lot of time traveling, in search for his photography subjects, all over the globe. Blooming provinces of France and snow-covered sculpture of Saint Petersburg, Japanese gardens and abandoned buildings of American factories – here the author finds the combination of nature and human presence that serves as a “model” for his art, or “photo-analysis” as Kenna himself calls it.

The photography of Michael Kenna has been highly praised by critics and collectors all over the world. His works belong to such prestigious collections as The National Gallery, Washington, D.C.; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London and The Shanghai Art Museum. The author’s resume includes 370 personal exhibitions, 75 photography books and publications. Michael Kenna owns a number of the highest professional awards, such as:    

2003 Honorary Master of Arts, Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, California, USA

2000 Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters, Ministry of Culture, France

1996 Golden Saffron Award, Consuegra, Spain

1989 Institute for Aesthetic Development Award, Pasadena, California, USA

1987 Art in Public Buildings Award, California Arts Council Commission, Sacramento, California, USA

1981 Imogen Cunningham Award, San Francisco, California, USA

The selected works of Michael Kenna will be available to view and purchase in The Brucie Collections gallery starting from October, 17^th, 2013.