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Craig Krull, founder and owner, Craig Krull Gallery “Julius basically retired from his long and successful career in 1989. I was opening my first gallery in 1991, and we met between those two dates. I was curating my first exhibition at the inaugural show at my gallery of photographers who had a unique take on the L.A. landscape. Julius came from a different perspective, one of commercial architectural photographer. But he was an integral part of the exhibition. …
Our representation of him, which began at the time, started with a re-contextualization of his work, a shift. He had never thought of himself as an artist. He thought we were an art gallery and we’d want his photos of Hawaii landscapes and sunsets and other pretty photos—his “artsy” pictures, according to him. But I had to convince him I was interested in his architectural work. Once we began showing his work in the gallery he began getting reviews by the art critics, [and] they were all taking a different perspective on his work that had not been taken before. It was a very important conceptual shift in thinking about Julius’ work. …
Around 2000 [Shulman] met Juergen Nogai. Juergen had a very good practice in Europe. He was here working on a book of Case Study House photos, and an acquaintance told him he had to meet Julius. And they drove up to meet him. They hit it off and had a lovely afternoon, and a week or two later Julius called Juergen and said they needed to work together, so definitely something sparked between them. He had received many requests to come out of retirement. For the past nine years, they worked together. Some have suggested that Juergen was responsible for extending Julius’ life, in terms of activity and travel. Julius thrived on it. …
When I first met Julius, he and his second wife, Olga, were showing me pictures of Hawaii and talking like normal retired people about their plans to go back to Hawaii and maybe buy a condo in Florida. I almost felt a little guilty, because I think I spoiled Olga’s retirement years; she and Julius never went back to Hawaii or Florida. But I think he loved it, and I think he wouldn’t have been able to really retire. He was active. He always had a spark, a twinkle in his eye; he was very curious and interested in everything. …
In my opinion, Julius was the most important architectural photographer in history, partly because he elevated what I’ve described as a commercial photographic genre to a fine art form. The way he constructed the view of his photos was very much like the work of contemporary photographers who don’t take a photo, they make a photo. He constructed images, and they were very composed, well-articulated, and thought-out. Not only that, but he didn’t merely document the architecture—he interpreted the architecture. The work of Gregory Ain, Eames, Koenig, Lautner [and so on are] known throughout the world through Julius’ eyes. Ninety-nine percent of the people who know these works of architecture have never been to see them in person. All our interpretation of these works was through Julius’ mind. …
One of the main tenets of modernism is a belief in the future, in progress, in technology and the use of new materials. This kind of optimism was something Julius was perfectly suited to translate because he was the most optimistic person I knew or have ever known. It was a perfect marriage. …
He’s very well-known for putting people in photos of architecture, which humanized it and softened some of that hard edge of modernism and invited you to be part of the dream. …
I learned a lot about architecture from Julius, but the real lessons I’ll carry are the life lessons. As a young businessman racing around L.A. and driving up to his home, the minute I got there I’d feel a sense of peace take over, and I’d slow down. Because even though he was very energetic and full of ideas and conversation, his demeanor would always ground me and bring us back, and we’d walk amongst his redwood trees. I’d feel a sense of peace and calm. He always saw the bright side of everything. I’d complain about the traffic or finances and he’d say, ‘You’re a young man, relax.’ You felt a sense that everything was going to be OK.”
Wim de Wit, head of architecture and design at the Getty Research Institute Research Library
“[Shulman] really understood Southern Californian light: where the sun would be and when, so you could get the perfect shadow in the picture with the right surface covered in light. He did that very well. When it came to doing interior photos, he was very good. When you look at three photos of one room, you get a very good sense of the complete space. Each successive photo takes you further into the space. With the help of these photos you can get a feeling of the floor plan of the room or house. …
He made modern architecture—the architecture of the post-World War II period—famous all over the world. It’s extremely important, the work he’s done, for our understanding and our memory of Southern California architecture. …
But just for me to work with him, personally, has been an incredible experience. I learned a lot from him. I learned to appreciate also his sense of humor, his personality, his outspoken character, and all that. After the archive came here, Julius and I were invited to go all over the place and have conversations about his work, and I’ve had wonderful evenings with him. Our second exhibition, Julius Shulman’s Los Angeles, which we did two years ago, will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, [to] be part of the Guadalajara International Book Fair. It opens Nov. 28, 2009, at the Museo de las Artes.”
Ray Kappe, FAIA, Kappe Architects/Planners, Pacific Palisades, Calif., and founder of SCI-Arc
“I think we all respected Julius as the primo architectural photographer in Los Angeles. He photographed many of my buildings, and it was always a very nice experience with very good results. And I think he lived a very long and eventful life, and had wonderful last years. He published almost everything he ever photographed. …
His last years were particularly marvelous, when he got together with TASCHEN; [together] they were able to do so many books for which he supplied the photos. In reality, he was probably the most important documenter of modern architecture—in Los Angeles for sure and throughout most of the country.”
For more on Julius Shulman’s life and influence, see the following stories:
“Julius Shulman’s photos promoted the allure of Southern California living”