Mark Berghash

New York-based Mark Berghash is known for his compelling photographs of people. Some of his wide-ranging work include the series Jews and Germans (Jewish Holocaust survivors and their German contemporaries), Portraits of the Rooted & Uprooted (exploring individuals who came from secure families or were homeless), Alter Ego Portraits, Segmented Nudes, and Photems in collaboration with Russian Samizdat (underground) conceptual artists Rima Gervolina and Valeriy Gervolin.

Inscribed in the cover text of this “serial portrait of Dan Pagis, born in Radautz, Bukowina, 1930,” from Berghash’s series, Aspects of the True Self, we learn that Mr. Pagis is a “Professor of University of Medieval Hebrew Poetry and a well-known modern Hebrew Poet.” The work was part of “Indelible Images,” an exhibition at the Jewish Museum in New York City in 1982 and is a part of their permanent collection. The completed project, entitled “Jews & Germans” was exhibited at the California Museum of Photography in 1985-86.

Born in Buffalo in 1935, Berghash studied at University of Buffalo 1952-55, University of Vienna, Austria 1955-56, and Art Students League in New York 1957-60. Coming from a background as a painter and student of philosophy and psychology, Berghash layers his portraits with meaning. He provides insight into his subjects, but also reflects the collaborative effect of his artistic process, composing and portraying aspects of the personalities he encounters. For the series Jews and Germans, he encouraged each sitter to “Let your thoughts, feelings and ideas come by themselves,” and allowed them to use a remote shutter release so his presence would not interfere with their experience. Each portrait incorporated several views and different facial expressions, culminating in a more dynamic and truer sense of the individual’s distinctive character. The images were matched with simultaneous recordings of their thoughts. For his work, Portraits from the Late 20^th Century, he paid homage to August Sander’s most famous work, People of the 20^th Century, that attempted to document the German populace—people of all professions and social status—not just wealthy or celebrated individuals. Berghash’s work has been collected, exhibited and published around the globe.