IPC to honor Douglas Kirkland with IPC Lifetime Achievement Award at May 15 event at UN

The International Photographic Council (IPC) announced world-renowned photographer Douglas Kirkland will be honored posthumously with the special IPC Lifetime Achievement Award at its May 15 spring Awards Luncheon at the Delegates Dining Room at the United Nations in New York City with special guest Francoise Kirkland as the Keynote Speaker. Benjamin Von Wong will be recognized with the IPC Environmental Photographer Award, as well as several professional photographers who will be awarded IPC Professional Photographer Achievement Awards.

“Photography has evolved substantially over the past 50 years in terms of how images are captured,” says Andy Marcus, President of IPC. “But the image still represents life and communicates in every language. Francoise Kirkland has been fully present in this spectacular craft and witnessed the emotions photography elicits. Her ability to narrate this world over five decades is something rare.”

Francoise and Douglas Kirkland met during the 1960s in France, collaborating over their nearly 60 years together on books and exhibitions. Kirkland remains one of the world’s most influential photographers, capturing the faces of Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Leonardo DiCaprio, Coco Chanel, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and more. His portrait of Charlie Chaplin hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 1998, Kirkland’s picture book, Titanic, rose to No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller List. A retrospective exhibition of Kirkland’s work entitled, A Life in Pictures, is currently on display at Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles, California until Feb.24, 2024.

Benjamin Von Wong is a multidisciplinary visual artist and photographer who uses recycled and reclaimed materials to create striking installations and images. His work has generated over 100 million views on social media focusing on various causes including plastics, fast fashion and electronic waste.

Two MPS Digital Photography students from the School of Visual Arts in NYC will also receive IPC James L. Chung Memorial Scholarships. The scholarship honors the late long-time president of IPC.