Photograph of Lovelace Watkins by Bruno Benini
Object No. 2009/43/1-3/7
Trained as both an opera singer and a boxer, Lovelace Watkins (1938-1995) was a Las Vegas-based soul singer and performer with a charismatic style and velvet voice. Nicknamed 'The Black Sinatra', Watkins toured nightclubs and venues around the world including in Europe, South Africa and Australia. With his signature boom voice reminiscent of Paul Robeson he received critical acclaim in South Africa at the height of apartheid with a street parade held in his honour. Bruno Benini captured this shot of Lovelace Watkins while he was visiting Melbourne during the sixties. The photographer's widow, Hazel Benini recalls: 'When Bruno took this shot he really thought he'd captured a great moment. He felt there was an anguish there. He really liked that shot.' (Hazel Benini interview with curator, December 2008). Anne-Marie Van de Ven, Curator 2009
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Summary
Object Statement
Photographic print, black and white, portrait of Lovelace Watkins, photograph by Bruno Benini, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1963-1967
Physical Description
Photographic print, black and white, portrait of Lovelace Watkins, photograph by Bruno Benini, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1963-1967
DIMENSIONS
Height
507 mm
Width
393 mm
HISTORY
Notes
This object is part of the Bruno Benini photography archive which was acquired by the Powerhouse Museum with the assistance of the Australian Government's National Cultural Heritage Account in 2009. If Bruno Benini particularly liked a shot he'd taken, he would make a print or as Hazel Benini recalled, 'create a blow-up and then put it up on his studio wall'. The walls of the studio foyer were covered with these, mostly 20 x 24 inch, prints. Some of the prints were damaged over the years and thrown out, however many remain, some with corner pin holes intact. The Benini archive contains photographs showing how the Benini's displayed these prints in the foyer of the studio. This may be one of those prints. Lovelace Watkins was a Las Vegas-based soul singer and performer. Bruno captured this image while he was on tour in Melbourne. Hazel recalls: 'When Bruno took this shot, he really thought he'd captured a great moment. Hazen Benini, interview, 2008
SOURCE
Acquisition Date
19 June 2009
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
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