Gebruiker:Kamerlingvanderburgh/Kladblok

Oscar Abolafia (1935), descendant of an important Spanish Jewish immigrant family from the 15th century, grew up in New York City.

Both he and his brother (Louis Abolafia) made name for themselves, Oscar as a photographer and Louis as an artist. When his brother Louis “ran” for president of the United States as “Naked Candidate” in 1968 and Oscar was responsible for the campaign poster with the slogan “What have I got to hide?”, the general public got to know both of them. They also convinced artist Salvador Dalí to do live painting in a plastic bubble installation on stage at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Oscar Abolafia built an archive of thousands of pictures of the rich and famous: from important political figures like the Kennedys and artists like Andy Warhol, to world-famous stars like Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Nicholson, Audrey Hepburn, Elvis Presley and many more. He also worked for People Magazine, Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar. Abolafia took many pictures backstage at “The Tonight Show” and was asked to take pictures during filming of several James Bond movies and famous films as “A Bridge too Far”.

In 1970 Oscar married his Dutch love Joanne. Until today they live together in New York City.

External Links

• Website Oscar Abolafia
• Website exhibition Oscar Abolafia
• Article New York Times. In an Era of Glitz, a Witness With Panache, By LILY KOPPEL, Published: February 10, 2008