“Young girl on a car, San Jose, Costa Rica (1998)” by photographer Russell Levin.
The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection includes 10 signed prints by photographer Russell Levin and five, one-of-a-kind Polaroid pictures taken in 2018 and 2024. With decades of experience in fine art photography as the owner of The Russell Levin Gallery in Monterey, California, you can immediately see the influence of several master photographers in his work.
Russell Levin (age 17), self portrait, 1972.
Born in 1954, Russell Levin began his journey into photography as a boy in the 1960s. From snapping shots at bull fights in Mexico to working for his school’s newspaper, his talent soon opened up doors for his work to be published in the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury newspapers. He would later go on to open his own camera shop in California, which eventually evolved into the art gallery he runs today.
In an interview for Apollo Magazine, photographer Dayanita Singh once said, “If I could describe a photograph entirely in words, why bother making it?” Indeed, the best photographers have a certain indescribable quality to their images that makes them come to life, inviting the viewer to linger.
“Bull Fight, 1969” by photographer Russell Levin, taken around the age of 14 or 15 when he lived in Mexico for a brief time with his father.
Russell Levin’s photography includes everything from the visually mesmerizing to the dramatic and sensuous. His pictures are vibrant and varied across a broad range of subjects. With a keen eye for composition, lighting and movement, he demonstrates his longtime study of the craft, showcasing his unique creative vision, while bringing a visual energy to the medium. Though they are still frames, they capture the imagination, inviting a sense of suspense for what the next moment holds — the moment after the picture was taken. Whether it is a flock of birds gloriously taking flight as a woman runs on a beach (“Erin Running with the Gulls,” 2013) or his revealing look at an artist at work in a foggy landscape (“Brett Weston, Summer of 1992”), it is especially difficult to choose one favorite photo over his others.
“Tatiana in studio, Pacific Grove, California (2002)” by photographer Russell Levin.
The first black and white print by Levin added to The Collection was a 10”x10” portrait titled, “Elizabeth in Studio” (2002). It was generously gifted by the photographer in 2021. Another one of Levin’s photographs of the same model was featured in the book “Unclad” from The Don Sanders Collection.
The Collection also includes two vintage portraits of Michael’s favorite Levin model – Tatiana. In the small 5”x6” black and white portrait and an 11”x14” print her beauty and mysteriously unique stare prove why she is one of Levin’s best subjects.
This gorgeous limited edition platinum photograph from 2019 was generously donated to the collection by photographer Russell Levin in 2024.
Another prime example of Levin’s ability to put his subject at ease to achieve a natural pose that leads to a perfect portrait, his photograph of a young girl in Costa Rica (at the top of the page) would not have happened, if not for a chance encounter. The photographer recently told the story behind this spontaneous picture, which was added to The Collection in 2022, on his Instagram page.
“I was in a cab going through a residential area of San Jose and this girl who was playing in front of her home with her friends caught my eye,” he wrote. “I had Francisco my driver stop, find her parents and asked permission to photograph her. Next thing I know she hopped up on the back of her dad’s car and striked this pose for about a second or two. Her friends started to tease her and she jumped off. A year later, I went back and gifted the family this image along with another of her with her friends.”
With thousands of photographs and negatives in his archives, Russell Levin has begun to offer many of them for sale for the first time, some of which have never been seen by the public before. And although he already has an impressive body of work from the past, he continues to take pictures to this day, expanding his portfolio and building a remarkable legacy on film.
“Elizabeth in Studio” (2002) photograph by Russell Levin. Donated to The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection in 2021.
“Kisa” (2019) Polaroid Photograph by Russell Levin.
For more information about Russell Levin’s photography and to view current prints for sale at The Russell Levin Gallery visit: https://russlevin.com/
To view more original works in The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection click here. For information about works that have been donated to the collection click here.