Object Description
Frederick Leslie Kenett (1924 -2012)
“The Olmec Wrestler”
Black & white gelatin silver print, circa 1958, mounted on card, framed
Stamped on reverse ‘F.L. Kenett, The Studio, 4 Eldon Road London W8’ and inscribed ‘Olmec’
39.5 cm. wide x 49.5 cm. high (54 cm. x 64 cm. incl. frame)
“Unquestionably the greatest photographer of sculpting in the world who himself became a sculptor”. Tom Rosenthal, The Listener, 1960s
This rare and original studio-stamped photograph is a fine example of F.L. Kenett’s sculptural photography.
Frederick Leslie Kenett was born in Berlin in 1924 to a German doctor. Kennett was forced to flee the country in 1939 and came to England, joining the US Intelligence Corps during the war, where he developed an interest in photography.
After the War he studied photography at the Guildford School of Art. Following his studies Kenett specialised in the photography of sculpture and works of art using a skilful method of lighting and shooting on 5×4 film or glass plate. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Kenett became highly sought-after for his sculptural work and undertook important commissions for museums, publishers, governments and collections across the world.
In 1958 Kenett was commissioned to make a photographic survey of life in Mexico. The Olmec Wrestler is a basalt statuette dated to between 1500-400 BC and often regarded as one of the most important sculptures of the Olmec culture in ancient Mexico. The near life-size figure has been praised not only for its realism and sense of energy, but also for its aesthetic qualities. The sculpture is in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City.