Jerry N. Uelsmann “My images say far more than I could in word. I believe in photography as a way of exploring the possibilities of man. I am committed to photography and life…and the gods have been good to me. What can I say. Treat my images kindly, they are my children.”

Jerry Norman Uelsmann, the second son of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Uelsmann, was born (June 11, 1934), and raised in Inner City Detroit. While in high school he developed a typical vocational interest in photography and began working part time as a photo assistant for a commercial studio and wedding photographer.

In 1953: He enrolled at the Rochester Institute of Technology. 1957: Received his B.F.A and his first first photograph was published in an issue of Photography Annual magazine. 1960: After Rochester he began graduate school at Indiana University and obtained his M.S and M.F.A degrees. After graduating, Uelsmann joined the faculty of the Department of Art, at the University of Florida as a Photography instructor.

Uelsmann’s achievements in the succeeding decades have securely established him in the pantheon of great photographers. 1967: First solo show was at MOMA in New York. 1963: First major solo exhibition was at the Jacksonville [Florida] Art Museum. He has published nine monographs on his work, and has been the subject of more than 100 international exhibitions.

His photographs are included in the permanent collections of major U.S museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City and the Chicago Art Institute. They can also be found in major museums overseas as well, such as the National Gallery of Australia, the National Galleries of Scotland, the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; just to name a few.

Equivalent, 1964 by Jerry Uelsmann

1976 by Jerry Uelsmann

Free But Securely Held, 1965 by Jerry Uelsmann

2003 by Jerry Uelsmann

Journey Into Self 1967, by Jerry Uelsmann

Bless Our Home and Eagle,1962 by Jerry Uelsmann

Riddle Of Innocence, 1967 by Jerry Uelsmann

Jerry Uelsmann’s style of art is described as photomontage. (Photomontage is the process and the result of making a composite photograph by cutting, gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image. Sometimes the resulting composite image is photographed so that a final image may appear as a seamless photographic print). The elements that he uses to construct photomontage are diverse. Often, he employs natural elements and juxtaposes them with mysterious human forces and dynamic backgrounds to create a dreamlike world of mystery and abstract meaning. His work is always black and white

Apocalypse ll,1967 by Jerry Uelsmann

Journey Into Night, 2006 by Jerry Uelsmann

1982 by Jerry Uelsmann

What separates Uelsmann’s work from other artist is the fact that he leaves one of the most important functions of the art to his audience; he does not many of his pieces. Reason being; he believes that the audience completes the image and not him. He wants the audience to interpret the image based on their backgrounds, knowledge and emotions. Having no title forces the viewer to attend more to the various portions of the image and to engage more highly within their own minds to define meaning of the various parts.

1964 by Jerry Uelsmann

1964 by Jerry Uelsmann

1975 by Jerry Uelsmann

1994 by Jerry Uelsmann

1987 by Jerry Uelsmann