celebratingour 2 0 thyear - The Parklander Magazine

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENTWALKSElvisat21ARTALFRED WERTHEIMER (American, 1929-), Going Home, 1956.Copyright Alfred Wertheimer. All rights reserved.Photographs byAlfred WertheimerPhotography Exhibit featuresimages of young Elvis PresleyBoca Raton Museum of ArtApril 20 through June 13This exhibition presents a candid, intimate look at young Elvis Presley atthe critical moments when he was becoming an international legend.In 1956, when Elvis was just 21 years of age, he was signed by RCAVictor to make recordings. At this time, Alfred Wertheimer was a young,struggling, New York freelance photographer. Wertheimer was fortunateto get an assignment from RCA to make promotional photographs of thenew recording artist, whose name he had never heard before. (Elvis who?)Wertheimer tagged along with young Mr. Presley, and photographed himas he recorded Hound Dog and Don’t Be Cruel, songs that would quicklysoar to the top of the charts, and would make the former unknown into the“King of Rock.”By Yvette Jayson Sencer, Ph.D.Alfred Wertheimer was born in Germany and moved to Brooklyn, N.Y.,while he was still a young boy. He was attracted to the fields of architectureand design, and he graduated from the renowned Cooper Union art schoolin 1951. In 1956, RCA Victor hired him for a series of commercialphotographic assignments, which included the promotional images ofPresley, a young recording artist RCA had recently taken on.Wertheimer did his job, and in the process he became so impressed withElvis that he decided to continue photographing him on his own time,58 MAY 2010ALFRED WERTHEIMER (American, 1929-),Washroom, No Towels, 1956.Copyright Alfred Wertheimer. All rights reserved.