Ezra Stoller — considered a pioneer in the world of architectural photography — was known for snapping images of some of the 20th century’s most celebrated buildings, from the Guggenheim Museum to the TWA terminal at Idlewild Airport. In fact, his work was considered so influential that architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Paul Rudolph, and Richard Meier all wanted their buildings “Stollerized.”
His method for magically capturing a building’s essence? Patience. ”Photography is space, light, texture, of course,” Stoller once said, ”but the really important element is time. That nanosecond when the image organizes itself on the ground glass.” A selection of his gelatin silver prints are currently on display at New York’s Yossi Milo Gallery through February 12th; click through to check out a few of our favorite images of iconic NYC landmarks, alongside a few lesser known gems.
Ezra Stoller, Manufacturer’s Trust Company, Fifth Avenue, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, New York, NY, 1954. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright, New York, NY, 1959. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright, New York, NY, 1959. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, Seagram Building, Mies van der Rohe with Philip Johnson, New York, NY, 1958. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, Seagram Building, Mies van der Rohe with Philip Johnson, New York, NY, 1958. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, Seagram Building, Mies van der Rohe with Philip Johnson, New York, NY, 1958. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, Seagram Building, Mies van der Rohe with Philip Johnson, New York, NY, 1958. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, TWA Terminal at Idlewild (now JFK) Airport, Eero Saarinen, New York, NY, 1962. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, TWA Terminal at Idlewild (now JFK) Airport, Eero Saarinen, New York, NY, 1962. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, TWA Terminal at Idlewild (now JFK) Airport, Eero Saarinen, New York, NY, 1962 . Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, First National City Bank, Idlewild (now JFK) Airport, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Queens, NY, 1960. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, TWA Terminal at Idlewild (now JFK) Airport, Eero Saarinen, New York, NY, 1962. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Ezra Stoller, TWA Terminal at Idlewild (now JFK) Airport, Eero Saarinen, New York, NY, 1962. Gelatin Silver Print. © Ezra Stoller, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York