I feel another loss this week in the wonderful photographer Eve Arnold. I met her when she came to my shop (Blackwell's Art & Poster Shop) back in the 90's and she was gracious, enquiring and possessed of grace and great dignity.

The first ever woman photographer to become a member of Magnum (there's still less than 10% women therein) and she made me smile by specially printing off and loaning the shop originals for my window display and after our talking about Marilyn Monroe, she came up with a colour print which she thought "had never been seen before". We went over to the main shop for an evening's public talk curated by Peter Hamilton and she signed the visitors book there. There exist somewhere several shots of us together and frankly I knew I was in the presence of greatness. I shall miss her great force of creativity and that powerful vision.

 

Eve at work - if these photos are copyright of MAGNUM and they wish me to remove them I will do so

Leonard Cohen made remarks as the recipient of the Principe de Asturias Prize for literature in Spain in October 2011.

“As I grew older, I understood that instructions came with this voice. And the instructions were these...Never to lament casually. And if one is to express the great inevitable defeat that awaits us all, it must be done within the strict confines of dignity and beauty."

This is true of Eve's work as much as any Magnum photographer