For 50 years, St. Petersburg resident Herb Snitzer has turned his lens on people and places to capture memorable photographs. Now the Museum of Fine Arts puts the focus on the photographer with an exhibition of 16 images drawn from Snitzer's long and varied career. After graduating from college in 1957, the native Philadelphian immersed himself in New York City's jazz scene, photographing musical legends like Miles Davis, Nina Simone and Louis Armstrong. Before changing career paths to become an educator, he worked for Life, Time and Fortune, and contributed to the New York Times and New York Herald Tribune. Since moving to St. Pete, Snitzer has documented local residents and the city's yearly gay pride parade. MFA also unveils a special exhibit of highlights from its permanent collection. Relocated from the north galleries to the south galleries during renovations, the selection includes works by Cézanne, Monet, Renoir, O'Keeffe and the museum's most recent acquisition, Jean-Francois Raffaëlli's "Man with Two Loaves of Bread" (1879). Herb Snitzer: Celebrating 50 Years in Photography and In a New Light: A Special Exhibition of Our Permanent Collection, through Sept. 11, 255 Beach Drive N.E., St. Petersburg, $8 adults/$7 seniors/$4 students and children 7-18, 727-896-2667, fine-arts.org.
This article appears in Jul 18-24, 2007.