Gita Lenz: A Candela Origin Story by Gordon Stettinius

From the Archive:
Gita Lenz

On view at Candela Gallery through June 18th

---

Gita Lenz, Self Portrait [5248], Circa 1950s. Vintage Gelatin Silver Print, 10 x 13 inches. INQUIRE

---

I visited Gita Lenz often in the years after we met in 2002. Timothy, our mutual friend, was visiting her regularly in her nursing home in the West Village, and I would generally join him or make a trip to New York as often as I could. Living in Virginia, I was able to visit New York maybe every other month or so for the last few years of Gita’s life. She did not always remember me, but she was always happy to have visitors. My son joined me on occasion. And on Gita’s 100th birthday, my girlfriend and I brought her a knish from Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery along with a cake to the nursing home in Washington Heights where she had been relocated.  

On my various trips to visit Gita, she would usually wonder anew who I was. She almost always asked me about my name and from which country did my family come. At first, I would bring a selection of her prints with me but after her book was published, I always brought along a copy in case her copy had been misplaced somehow. The great thing about bringing her photos back to her was her evident pride in nearly every image and the memories that would resurface when she viewed certain images. She would often say something along the lines of “I was pretty good, wasn’t I?” To which, I always agreed.  

Timothy & Gita holding a copy of her book

Gita Lenz on her 100th birthday

In many ways, my relationship with Gita and her work is Candela's origin story. I founded Candela Books in 2010 to publish a monograph of Lenz’s work. At the time, we managed to secure the interest of Tom Gitterman, who owns a premier photo gallery in New York City, Gitterman Gallery. Tom appreciated her early adaptation of abstract expressionism and was especially drawn to the quality of her prints. Later that same year, Tom mounted a solo exhibition of her work. Although Gita wasn't well enough to attend the opening events, between the book and the exhibition, I felt she had a sense that her work was being seen and appreciated once again.

For me, having the opportunity to know Gita was both a privilege and a pleasure. I always felt she deserved more recognition as her work easily withstood comparison to other prominent photographers of the time. She was a peer of Aaron Siskind and when asked, would always declare him to be a great photographer. Perhaps he was a mentor? In any event, their letters of correspondence within her archive certainly convey they were close.

I found her to be a compelling thinker as well. Her interests were widely varied, from politics to poetry. She was one of the first volunteers at the founding of the New York Quarterly. And she was an acquaintance of Bayard Rustin, a notable civil rights activist.

Gita Lenz, Untitled [Workers on Break], late 1940s - 1950s. Vintage Gelatin Silver Print, 9.25 x 13.25 inches. INQUIRE

It is not an exaggeration to say that meeting Gita was a seminal event in my own life. After publishing that first book for Gita, I went on to publish other photographic artists… among them Shelby Lee Adams, Chris McCaw, Willie Anne Wright, the collaborative artists Kahn & Selesnick, and others.

Then, in 2011, I opened Candela Gallery, in downtown Richmond, Virginia, and one of our first exhibitions was a feature exhibition of Gita’s great work. In the ten years since, we have gone on to feature a long list of notable photographers… including Louis Draper, Susan Worsham, Courtney Johnson, Linda Connor, Alanna Airitam, Ervin Johnson, Holly Roberts, and on, and on... It has been an incredible ride honestly. Our mission underscores our commitment to elevate the discourse around contemporary photography, but were it not for my friendship with Gita, Candela would most likely never have come into being. 

If interested, you can read more about how Gita Lenz’s photography was rediscovered and our subsequent friendship in this 2011 piece featured in Places Journal. 

- Gordon Stettinius