Arthur Siegel American, 1913-1978

American photographer Arthur Siegel (1913-1978) cultivated new ways of the photographic process and further education in the medium. Siegel was a man of the experimental process, pushing the way color and light can be captured through the lens. He often combined his documentary process with his creativity, creating abstract photojournalist images. Using light and color, he attempted to push the boundaries of his compositions, blending techniques to produce avant-garde images of objects or scenes that revolved around a single element of photographic art.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Siegel began his introduction to the arts when he attended The Institute of Design at the Armour Institute of Technology in 1937. Around this time, his photographic career began as a photojournalist at the New York Times. After several years of working for the Office of War Information, The U.S. Army Corps, and the Farm Security Administration, he received an invitation from László Moholy-Nagy to head and teach at the photography department at the Institute of Design. After a couple of years, he resigned in 1949 to return to focusing on working in commercial photography and expanding his research in color photography. During this time, he also engaged in several photojournalism projects and wrote several essays on image-making. In 1967, he was rehired by Aaron Siskind to be the chair of the department at the Institute, where he held the position until his death.