NEW YORK, NY.- Acclaimed and much loved celebrity and society photographer Annie Watt, a familiar face in the New York social and commercial art scenes will unveil her first solo exhibition Impromptu Portraits at the Galerie Dumonteil, at 475 Park Avenue in New York City , from December 10th 2014 to January 10th 2015. The By-Invitation-Only opening reception will be held on December 9 from 6PM to 8PM, hosted by a number of the city’s social glitterati including Geoffrey Bradfield, Barbara and Donald Tober, Gillian and Sylvester Miniter, Eleanora and Michael Kennedy and Ambassador John Loeb and Sharon Handler Loeb. The show will feature imagery of Internationally known A-listers as well as fascinating images of people from around the world culled from Annie’s extensive body of work, which currently consists of over 950,000 photographs. Stars of stage and screen, social dynamos, power brokers, fashion designers, great chefs and restaurateurs, drag queens and media notables have all been the focus of Watt’s lens.
Among the famous faces featured in this show who have posed happily for Watt at the most exclusive galas, premieres and elegant parties are Bill Clinton, Neil Patrick Harris, Oscar de la Renta, Barbara Walters, Prince Andrew, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Iris Apfel, Diane von Furstenberg, Donald Trump, Donna Karan, Dr. Oz, Henry Kissinger, Hugh Jackman, James Earl Jones, Christie Brinkley, Candice Bergen , Bruce Weber, Hoda Kotb, Kathie Lee Gifford, Catherine Zeta Jones, Hilary Clinton, Donatella Versace, Janet Jackson, Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Gloria Steinem, Itzhak Perlman, Jane Fonda, Joan Rivers, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Paris Hilton, Robert De Niro, Sirio Maccioni, Sarah, Duchess of York, Sir Elton John, Walt Frazier, Wynton Marsalis, Zubin Mehta and ZZ Top.
Impromptu Portraits will exhibit in New York before the show travels to Paris and Shanghai . Proceeds from the opening reception will benefit the American Heart Association. The show is curated by Michael McAuliffe.
Over the last decade, Annie Watt has become the "go-to lenser" for savvy event producers and chairladies around the country. Her unique ability to put her subjects at ease, and give them a crash course in posing - even to the most frequent red carpet figures helps her glamorous subjects put their best face forward. Her gentle reminders and subtle advice to her subjects have earned her the moniker of ‘The Posing Expert’.
One of Annie’s biggest asset as a photographer is that her clients trust her to present them in the most flattering light. Her photography style has an emphasis on capturing candid photos in addition to the standard posed shots showing people smiling into the camera.
Annie does this with an ease and grace that has won her legions of admirers, not only among the high profile subjects she photographs, but also the top society hostesses, event planners and the media with whom she enjoys extraordinary relationships.
Annie’s path to the Galerie Dumonteil consisted of an artistic spirit combined with a pragmatic business sense and a singular drive to succeed. In high school, Annie’s love of the arts, combined with a determined work ethic and impressive academics, won her a four-year full tuition scholarship at the world renowned School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and the opportunity to study with such notable artists as Chuck Close, Paul Wagner, Jack Potter and Milton Glaser. After graduation, Annie continued her education and received a teaching certification from Hunter College and pursued a Masters in Art History at Alfred University in Scotland .
Following her return to the United States , Annie, at the age of 24, became the youngest Agency Director at the Barbizon School for Modeling. During her tenure Annie developed an innate sense of what “worked” in a model’s portfolio and how to make the subject a more marketable commodity.
This exposure to photographers’ needs and the business of photography led Annie in the late 1980s to the Graphic Systems Group, a company that was a pioneer in high-end digital photo manipulation. GSG created some of the most iconic special effects in images at the time.
At GSG, she also developed a keen appreciation for the fantastic images and special effects shot by very talented photographers. As Annie learned more about retouching, she became interested in manipulating and creating the digital imagery herself and gained a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable digital photo-retouching experts – all before Photoshop was created. This early and extensive work on creating the perfect look for each subject carries on through her work today.
Annie entered the world of social public relations with a stint at The Callaghan Group, who at the time represented an internationally acclaimed coterie of clients from Patti LaBelle to Harry Winston Jewels. Annie met the late society publicist Roger Webster and his then partner Jason Grant.
Immediately recognizing her unique talent on the red carpet, they asked her to work as a social photographer with Webster Light Grant Communications. They introduced her to David Patrick Columbia and Jeffrey Hirsch, the social powerhouses producing New York Social Diary. David and Jeff offered Annie the opportunity to photograph the biggest and brightest events in fundraising, as well as, capturing NYC's social elite and celebrities for their on-line magazine.
Annie Watt’s philosophy is “doing well by doing good”, covering hundreds of charitable functions each year and donating a portion of the proceeds of print sales to the fund-raising organization. As a result, Annie’s bright smile and unflagging professionalism continue to make her one of the most welcome photographers at any A-list event.
The traveling exhibition is timed to coincide with the launch of a new specialty photo agency, www.anniewattagency.com. The combination agency and website is designed to make it even easier for her clients, subjects and the media to access her ever-growing body of work.
