Art
Fireside Summit, Geneva, Switzerland, 1985 (limited edition, framed photo)
- Item Number
- 102
- Estimated Value
- 2000 USD
- Sold
- 1500 USD to Live Event Bidder
Item Description
“He was like an actor ready to go on stage,” said David Hume Kennerly of Ronald Reagan, recalling the minutes before the president met Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for the first time. Kennerly was part of Reagan’s entourage in Geneva, 27 years ago this November. “I think he felt that this was the biggest moment of his presidency,” Kennerly said.
Though many were skeptical of Reagan’s diplomatic skills in dealing with the country he once called the Evil Empire, the Geneva Summit was a breakthrough. The two world leaders formed a relationship of mutual respect that was essential to end the Cold War. Just four years later, the Berlin Wall came down. The collapse of the USSR soon followed.
“It has to be one of the top 10 stories that I’ve covered,” Kennerly said. He was one of only three photographers in the room, and the only non-official one. He made his own small impact on history when he suggested, a day before the meeting started, that Reagan and Gorbachev’s chairs be moved closer, in order to get a better shot. Surprisingly, the organizers agreed. The fireside image won him the Overseas Press Club’s Olivier Rebbot Award for best photographic reporting from abroad in magazines and books.
Item Special Note
This framed photo is signed and numbered by Kennerly. It is a 16" by 20" archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta paper.
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