Algimantas Kezys, Palmer house, Chicago

Algimantas Kezys (1928-2015)
Palmer house, Chicago
1982, silver print, 36 × 48
Sign. AD: Algimantas Kezys

Algimantas Kezys (1928-2015) was a Lithuanian-born photographer, Jesuit (who later retired from the priesthood), cultural figure and self-taught artist. His life path - from a young man who escaped during the war to a renowned modernist photographer - was a combination of spirituality, cultural fostering and artistic vision. His legacy consists of a rich photographic oeuvre, publications, films, archives and the institutions he founded.
Algimantas Kezys is considered to be one of the most important modernist photographers of the Lithuanian diaspora. His work is characterised not only by the fixation of reality, but also by an attempt to convey a philosophical insight and a spiritual dimension. Although he started out as a curiosity photographer, he soon discovered a distinctive artistic style, in which the play of form, rhythm and contrast, rather than documentary, is the most important aspect.
Kezys became a bridge between Lithuanian diasporic culture and global modernist photography. His work bears witness to the creative potential of the Lithuanian diaspora of the second half of the 20th century. The photographer was able to turn a simple city corner or a tree branch into a universal metaphor, speaking about man's relationship with the world.