Back in early 2012, I read an article about an exhibit that the Getty Center was displaying; It was a collection of Herb Ritts photos (Article: L.A Times August 10, 2011 – “Getty Museum acquires set of Herb Ritts photographs”). The article stated that until July 2011, the Getty had not acquired any pieces of work by Mr. Ritts. The article also went on to say, “Perhaps in part because of his commercial success in magazines and advertising, Ritts has never been fully embraced by the museum world. Some art critics dismiss him as Robert Mapplethorpe lite.”

I took the opportunity one day to go to the Getty and see the exhibit. Some pictures were very familiar while some took me by surprise. The depth of his work, commercial or not, was really extensive. His photographic style itself was something that just pulled you in. For an art critic to dismiss Mr. Ritts in any way is really pathetic. If you look at the composition and exposure of his photos, you know he was a very artistic and talented individual, as well as a very knowledgeable photographer. To compare his photos to another photographer’s work is, to me, close to impossible.

Mr. Ritts was a talent that left the world too soon…