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Arnold Crane - The Loss of a Legend

12/2/2014

14 Comments

 
Picture"Arnold" by Bob Coates
I received some sad news last night...Arnold Crane passed away. There are a lot of you who have no idea who he is and even more who have never met him....

Right off the bat, you'll notice I used "is" and not "was"...that's because Arnold has one of those huge personalities. His passion for photography, spending time with other photographers and simply being an artist is unmatched. So, while Arnold may have left us, legendary personalities stay with us forever.

I first met Arnold in my Hasselblad days. He used to come to all the conventions and that's where the friendship started. In January '96 he sent me a copy of his book,
"On the Other Side of the Camera". It's a pretty remarkable body of work as Arnold set out to "memorialize and honour my friends - both living and sadly gone from our world." 

From Man Ray to Ansel Adams, Robert Frank to Bernice Abbott, Lee Friedlander, Minor White, Arnold Newman and Gary Winogrand, just to name a few, Arnold documented time with all of these legendary artists.  He did what no other artist in photography has done, spend the time to document many of the stories and personalities behind the pioneers in photography who built the foundation for imaging today.

In the foreword of Arnold's book, Graham Nash wrote:

...What a daunting task it is to photograph a photographer...My friend Arnold Crane has taken upon himself this difficult assignment with dignity and humor. For several decades he has been acquainted with the finest photographers in the world, individuals who have taught us new ways of seeing and who have brought us closer to one another by revealing to us our common humanity...Much as been written about the men and women whose faces grace these pages. Now we have a remarkable window into their souls. With this exceptional book, Arnold Crane has greatly expanded our insight into the vision and the art of some of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century."

Along with Arnold's incredible enthusiasm for the craft and photographers, his passion for his friendships was also at the top of the list. Every time I'd see Arnold it was as if the last conversation just ended in a comma and we'd take up wherever we left off. I guess this is a good spot to segue over to one last point.


There's so much we all take for granted and I'm no exception. Arnold and his wife, Cynthia, moved to Sarasota two years ago. As snow birds they'd hit Sarasota in the late fall and head back north in the spring. We got out to dinner with them a couple of times that first year and then missed the second altogether. A few emails over the last year and I figured as soon as they were back down here I'd get time in with Arnold once more. Obviously that can no longer happen.


Don't wait to tell people important to you how you feel. It takes a certain amount of effort, but it's so worth it. I hate the fact that it's been over a year since I spoke directly with Arnold, but at the same time, I'm so proud of the fact that he's a friend and even more proud that he considered me one.

The image I used in this post was taken by Bob Coates, another good friend and buddy. In the same way Graham Nash talked about Arnold giving us a look into the souls of some of the greatest photographers in the world, I love the fact that Bob's image definitely captures Arnold and gives us a look into his soul.

Arnold, thank you for all you gave our industry, your enthusiasm, love for photography and friendships to so many artists. You will definitely be missed!

14 Comments
Jerry Grossman link
12/3/2014 12:47:42 am

So sorry to hear about Arnold. One of the true gentlemen in our industry.

Reply
David Lee link
12/3/2014 12:26:15 pm

Very nice story - lots of interesting characters, these photographers. So much talent gone, but their photos live on.

Reply
John minnicks link
12/3/2014 02:31:56 pm

Fine Article, As Arnold could have said,,, To the point john, Well Arnold, you Have left a Huge Contrubution to the Arts... I Built Several Custom Cameras for Arnold, Te one Arnold has in this image.. Was and is #11.. Arnold opened the box ,,, with #11,, on 11/11/11 .. This is how much of our time was... Effort-Less ,, Sincerely Jm.

Reply
Cynthia Crane
12/5/2014 03:53:58 pm

Thank you, Skip, for providing this format for Arnold's friends. This last 2 weeks have been pretty bad - I have never had my heart broken in two before. What an amazing man I married - and luckily married me. We met on August 18, 1987 and have never been apart since that day. His photos do live on. Let me know when you wan to see them - from the vintage prints to the 2011 Berlin Show.

Reply
Renate Gruber link
2/11/2015 09:15:36 pm

A great loss to the family of photographie! Arnold was a respected and loved friend of the Grubers. The 'Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie und The International Photoscene Cologne' remember him fondly! His visits to photokina and Cologne were highlights for us here and he will never be forgotten Renate Gruber

Reply
Miriam Ostroff
2/23/2015 09:34:37 am

Dear Cynthia...In Sarasota for a respite from the snow..in trying to call you ,learned of Arnold's passing.. Needless to say, we knew nothing and am so very very sorry to hear of your loss.. Arnold was a special man, friend and almost family, even tho we were not regularly in touch. His many talents and special personality will always be remembered..
Please know you are in our thoughts and accept our condolences. Love, Miriam and Armand

Reply
scott douglas
7/20/2015 11:00:35 am

Dear Cynthia,
I am truly sorry to only now learn of Arnolds passing. When I was a young photographer in Paris well over 20 years ago I would spend a great deal of time with Arnold wandering the streets, taking photographs and always learning. he was a wonderful teacher and what I would call a friend, even though there was obviously a large age difference. he will be sadly missed. Scott

Reply
Mike Grammatica
3/13/2018 07:39:51 pm

Hi Cynthia, I wanted to say hello, as you know I really started a great friendship with your late husband and I would like it if you can jingle.
I would love to hear from you

Reply
Sarah A McNear
6/5/2023 02:24:09 pm

Dear Ms. Crane:

Can you tell me who holds the copyright on Arnold's photographs? We'd like to reproduce one in a book being published by the George Eastman Museum.

Thank you.

Sarah McNear

Reply
Tony Karnezis
12/9/2014 04:16:41 pm

I had the good fortune of meeting Arnold in June 2006. We clicked instantly, and he became one of my closest, dearest friends and confidants, someone I always loved talking to about photography and life. I miss him terribly. Sending you my love, Cynthia. See you soon.

Reply
Nancy and Buddy Bronska
12/16/2014 03:35:54 pm

we will miss his joy of life and wonderful sense of humor. So sad to hear the news.

Reply
john pritchard link
12/17/2014 04:40:38 am

I never had the pleasure of meeting Arnold. That's the one great thing about photographers. Their work lives on forever in photos. That's something we can all hope for!! A true talent and inspiration!

Reply
Evan Harrington
2/18/2015 10:04:08 am

Very sorry to hear this. My father, Phillip Harrington, was good friends with Arnold, and I tried to connect with Arnold three years back but our schedules didn't permit it. He will be missed.

Reply
Dawn Davis link
7/16/2019 02:06:54 am

Hi Skip, I stumbled across your blog post here and my heart felt so connected to a man I never met. July 17 is his birthday, according to Facebook.

You see, I've been going through my Facebook friends and trying to get a grip on it. I realize as I age that it's not about the number but more the quality of friendships. I have been deleting a bunch of people that I have no interactions with whatsoever. I noticed that Arnold's birthday was coming up so I went this his wall and checked "view friendship" and this is what I saw...

April 16, 2010: Dawn and Bob: I hope someday to meet you two. I live near Navy Pier on LSD. We have a number of friends in common (I'm a member of the WHNPA, and a few other organizs.). Good Shooting--. I hope you'll always be able to find great light!. Arnold Crane

I don't know if our paths ever crossed but if they did, I hope and pray that we we lived up to his expectations. His passing makes me realize how fast life if flying by. How sad it is to lose good people. How his wife must still be hurting. So many emotions!!! I can't believe this has brought me to tears but everything I read about Arnold makes me feel like I would have totally loved him.

And then to read your blog post about him just sums it up... he was an absolutely amazing man. God rest his soul, may he rest in peace.

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