Toronto, November 23, 2011– Bothwell, Ontario-based photographer Larry Towell is the 2011 recipient of the $50,000 Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award for Art Photography. The award will be presented at a special event at the Stephen Bulger Gallery in December.
Larry Towell is Canada’s first photographer to be associated with Magnum, the world’s most prestigious photo agency.He completed projects on the Nicaraguan Contra war, on the relatives of the disappeared in Guatemala, and on American Vietnam War veterans. In 1996, he completed a project based on ten years of reportage on the civil war in El Salvador, followed by two major books on the Palestinians. His fascination with landlessness led him to the Mennonite migrant workers of Mexico. His most recent published project, The World From My Front Porch, is a collection of photographs of his family’s life in southern Ontario. He is currently completing a book on the war in Afghanistan. Larry’s photo series have been published in many major international publications and he has exhibited his work in Europe, the U.S., Canada, and Asia. An exhibition of his new work in Afghanistan opens at Museum London on January 15, 2012. His numerous awards include the Henri Cartier-Bresson Award (first recipient), several first place World Press Photos and Photo of the Year, the Hasselblad Award, the Alfred Eisenstadt Award, the Oskar Barnack Award and the first Roloff Beny Book Award. He is also a gifted writer and musician.
The jury members recognized Larry Towell as an artist who uses his photography as a creative expression to capture his experiences and bring a wider audience to the conflicts of the world. His work is infused with a deep humanism at the personal, public and political levels. Defined by global issues, his work focuses on the personal perspective of the individuals he is documenting.
The de Hueck/Walford Award was established at the Ontario Arts Foundation by the late Norman Walford, former Executive Director of the Ontario Arts Council, and the late Paul de Hueck, former CBC television production manager. The Ontario Arts Council is responsible for the nomination and selection process. The award is selected by an Award Committee that was comprised of Andrea Kunard, Assistant Curator at the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (Ottawa), Bonnie Rubenstein, Artistic Director at the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival (Toronto), and Don Snyder, Professor of Photography at Ryerson University (Toronto). The Ontario Arts Foundation manages the endowment that funds the de Hueck/Walford Award.
Previous award winners include Jeff Wall and Raymonde April.
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For further information, please contact:
Alan Walker, Executive Director, Ontario Arts Foundation
416 969 7413 awalker@arts.on.ca
The Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) Established in 1991 as a public charitable foundation, the Foundation pays out over $2 million annually in support of the arts.
The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is the province of Ontario’s primary funding body for professional arts activity. Since 1963, the OAC has played a vital role in promoting and assisting the development of the arts and artists for the enjoyment and benefit of Ontarians.
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