Phillip Leonian Obituary

Leonian, Phillip Marshall Photographer and chairman of the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, passed away on September 15, 2016 at his home in Chicago, Illinois. He was 89 years old. Leonian was an innovative photographer who specialized in advertising and editorial work in New York from the 1950s through the eighties.His many clients included IBM, AT&T, Time, Look, and Sports Illustrated, for which he produced eight cover photos, including the iconic portrait of Muhammed Ali in red velvet robe and crown. Capturing the essence of motion particularly fascinated him. He spent his life exploring ways to portray both an object in motion and the very motion itself, and to do it in a single still photographic image. His portfolio included long distance runner Steve Prefontaine, figure skater Janet Lynn, boxing champion Joe Frazier, and basketball player Earl "the pearl" Monroe. His single-negative documentation of Cathy Rigby's balance beam routine was included in the Voyager Golden Record time capsule, launched aboard both Voyager spacecraft in 1977. Phillip Leonian was born on January 13, 1927 in Morgantown, West Virginia, to Leon and Nell (Lanham) Leonian. He became involved in photography in high school. He served in the armed forces during the occupation of Japan, and later studied at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara (California). In the mid-1950s he moved to New York City where he met and married Edith Rosenbaum, daughter of Paul and Gabriella (Kramer) Rosenbaum, of Chicago. Edith became his representative and the two ran a photography studio in NYC for thirty years. In the late 1980s, Edith inherited her father's Chicago-based business, Concession Services, Inc. She and Phil began commuting to Chicago and, a few years later, they purchased the chain of Swap-O-Rama Flea Markets. In 2010 they created the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, which has a mission to raise awareness of and appreciation for photography and photographers. Predeceased by Edith in 2013, Phillip Leonian is survived by his two brothers, Armen Leonian and John Leonian; niece, Tania Leonian; and nephews, Tarquin Leonian, John Michael Leonian, and Joseph Robert Leonian. A graveside ceremony will take place at 11:00 a.m. on October 27th at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx NY). For further info: 718-920-0500. Donations in memory of Phillip Leonian may be made to Bronx Documentary Center, 614 Courtlandt Avenue, Bronx, NY 10451.