Shoots Legends – Is Legend

Andy Hanson was a high society and event newspaper photographer that shot and captured Dallas. The lens of Andy Hanson chronicled the history of Dallas and interpreted Dallas for the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century. Andy Hanson was a prominent figure with a subtle presence that caught the essence of celebrities, entertainers, sports figures, Dallas leaders, and socialites. I purchased three of his photographs at a gallery over 30 years ago because they were fabulous photographs and to me conveyed Dallas. His portrait of H.L. Hunt at his desk with an oil derrick on it, looking out his office window at the Dallas skyscrapers, projected the iconic bigness of Dallas. The photograph of the Beatles at their Dallas press conference, when on their first U.S. tour, showed that Dallas was an emerging city attracting this Fab Four sensation. The photograph of Judy Garland on a rainy night looking out her limousine rear window, leaving the Majestic out the backdoor just a step ahead of the tax man as she made her escape, invoked the stories I heard from longtime Dallas residents and their memories of Dallas. Memories have been shared from a time when Dallas had one foot in an intimate small town and one foot in a bigtime city. Even when Dallas was small, it attracted national politicians and talented artists, both those emerging and those that had arrived. Dallas has been a city big enough to attract the most prominent figures and small enough for the average person to meet them. We were always able to meet them in the newspaper where Andy Hanson photographs would greet us. I would never think of having a party without Andy Hanson both as a guest and a photographer. Everyone with an interest in art, photography, or Dallas, should see this exhibition at the SMU DeGolyer Library. *Shoots Legends – Is Legend
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