Ron Galella

Widely acknowledged as the most controversial celebrity photographer in the United States, Ron Galella has been lauded as "the godfather of American paparazzo culture" by Time, and "Paparazzo Extraordinaire" by Newsweek. A native New Yorker, Galella earned a degree in photojournalism from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. He began his career as a freelance magazine and newspaper photographer in 1955, and has since been sued by Jacqueline Onassis, punched by Marlon Brando, and hosed down by friends of Brigitte Bardot. Galella’s previous books include Jacqueline (Sheed & Ward, 1974), Offguard: A Paparazzo Look at the Beautiful People (McGraw-Hill, 1976), The Photographs of Ron Galella 1965–1989 (Greybull Press, 2003), and Ron Galella: Exclusive Diary (Photology, 2005). His most recent shows were held at the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; the Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York; the Holt Renfrew Flick Exhibition, Toronto; and his latest, Superstar, at Kunstforum Wien, Vienna.