Malibu to Exhibit Work Of Historic Photographer At City Hall

MALIBU, CA — The Cultural Arts Commission will host the second public art installation in Malibu City Hall with a retrospective photography exhibit highlighting the work of renowned, award-winning historic photographer Fred Ward, a Malibu resident who passed away this summer.

The exhibition will kick off with an opening reception and memorial for Ward at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1

"Malibu could not be more proud of Fred Ward and his incredible body of work that captured America's most important, sad, and triumphant moments," Mayor Lou La Monte said. "With Fred's own family helping to curate the exhibit, this show will be a highly personal reflection and tribute to Fred Ward that you will see nowhere else but in Malibu. I applaud the Cultural Arts Commission for organizing this special exhibit, and encourage everyone in the community to attend."

During a career spanning five decades, Ward, a long-time Malibu resident, captured major historic moments in American history for Time, Life, Newsweek, and National Geographic magazines and traveled the world on assignment. Some of his iconic images include the funeral of President John F. Kennedy, and rare color images of the Beatles' first American concert. He shot the cover images of Life magazine's Martin Luther King Jr. memorial issue and the John F. Kennedy assassination issue, which Andy Warhol appropriated for his Jacqueline Kennedy images.

During the 1970s, Ward spent time photographing in Cuba and compiled a book that included revealing images of the country's dictator, Fidel Castro.

Ward's career took him to more than 130 countries, often piloting experimental aircraft and his own helicopter, and shooting underwater photographs. He served as a member of the Washington press corps and the White House News Photographers Association. The International Center of Photography in New York exhibited his presidential photographs, and the Washington Press Club mounted a retrospective show of his work as their premiere exhibit.

Ward passed away in July of this year from Alzheimer 's disease at his home in Malibu, and his family is very pleased to have the opportunity to honor his life's work and memory by helping to curate this special exhibition in Malibu City Hall. Ward's widow, Charlotte Ward, is available for interviews upon request.

The opening reception and memorial for Ward will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 in the Malibu City Hall Atrium. The photographs will be displayed in the upstairs atrium and hallways to the Civic Theater until Jan. 13, 2017.

— News release from the city of Malibu. Photo courtesy of the city.