Declan Haun | American, 1937 - 1994
Declan Haun's images reveal the aspirations of a photographer who treated the thing before his lens with the utmost reverence and careful observation. The sum of Haun's photographs can be viewed through his working method that simultaneously sought the sharpness of pure design, the fleeting nature of the unexpected and a devotion to social consciousness. These concerns are elevated through his mindfully crafted prints which evoke his love for the subject and the process of photography.
Haun's career as a photographer began at the Charlotte Observer when he was twenty-one years old. In 1963, he moved to Chicago where he spent the next fifteen years of his career as a freelance photographer whose clients included National Geographic, Life Magazine, Look, Time and The Saturday Evening Post. During this time Haun, along with many other talented photographers of his generation, became involved with Black Star, a prestigious photo agency that represented his work until his death in 1994. Beyond his work for the printed page, Haun sought to establish himself as a fine artist and print maker and his photographs were exhibited in numerous museum exhibitions including John Szarkowski's, The Photographers Eye at the Museum of Modern Art.
Haun served as picture editor at the National Geographic Magazine from 1976 to 1982 and at the Smithsonian Magazine from 1982 to 1984. He also planned and co-curated Odyssey: the Art of Photography at National Geographic for the Corcoran Gallery. He was actively involved in the education of young photographers, teaching at George Washington University for eleven years and leading photographic workshops.
The photographs of Declan Haun are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the High Museum of Atlanta, the Polaroid Collection, the Chrysler Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.
Declan Haun's images reveal the aspirations of a photographer who treated the thing before his lens with the utmost reverence and careful observation. The sum of Haun's photographs can be viewed through his working method that simultaneously sought the sharpness of pure design, the fleeting nature of the unexpected and a devotion to social consciousness. These concerns are elevated through his mindfully crafted prints which evoke his love for the subject and the process of photography.
Haun's career as a photographer began at the Charlotte Observer when he was twenty-one years old. In 1963, he moved to Chicago where he spent the next fifteen years of his career as a freelance photographer whose clients included National Geographic, Life Magazine, Look, Time and The Saturday Evening Post. During this time Haun, along with many other talented photographers of his generation, became involved with Black Star, a prestigious photo agency that represented his work until his death in 1994. Beyond his work for the printed page, Haun sought to establish himself as a fine artist and print maker and his photographs were exhibited in numerous museum exhibitions including John Szarkowski's, The Photographers Eye at the Museum of Modern Art.
Haun served as picture editor at the National Geographic Magazine from 1976 to 1982 and at the Smithsonian Magazine from 1982 to 1984. He also planned and co-curated Odyssey: the Art of Photography at National Geographic for the Corcoran Gallery. He was actively involved in the education of young photographers, teaching at George Washington University for eleven years and leading photographic workshops.
The photographs of Declan Haun are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the High Museum of Atlanta, the Polaroid Collection, the Chrysler Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.