Name John Pepper Role Photographer | Siblings Jorie Graham Nieces Emily Galvin | |
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Parents Curtis Bill Pepper, Beverly Pepper Similar People | ||
John R. Pepper (a.k.a. John Pepper and John Randolph Pepper) is a photographer and theatre director. His life and career, in photography, film and theatre has been described as "dedicated to the investigation of the dynamics between ‘selves’ in order to bring to light the solitude, the flaws, the hidden needs that make their actions a poignant expression of their inner being".
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Biography
John R. Pepper was born in Rome, Italy in 1958 to Curtis Bill Pepper, a war correspondent and the head of the Rome bureau for Newsweek magazine, and the sculptor Beverly Pepper. He has one sister, poet Jorie Graham. He was raised in Rome, Italy. He studied History of Art at Princeton University (1976) where he was also one of the original painting members of the '185 Nassau Street Painting Program' and was awarded the Whitney Painting Fellowship in 1975. In 1981 Pepper was admitted as a 'Directing Fellow' to The American Film Institute, Los Angeles. Pepper has married twice and has two sons (Sheppard, 1990, and Jameson, 1993) from his first marriage.
Photography
Pepper began his career as an apprentice to Ugo Mulas who gave him his first formal training in the art of street photography. Pepper pursued his work in photography (analogical) for three decades all while directing theatre and film. His show 'Rome: 1969 – An Hommage to Italian Neo-Realist Cinema' (USA/France 2008) lead him back to his native Italy where Lanterna Magica Edizioni published the book Sans Papier (Italy 2011) with subsequent exhibits in Rome, Venice, Saint Petersburg (Russia), Paris, Palermo (Sicily).
In 2012 the Manège Museum in Saint Petersburg, (Russia) shows Peppers new work of which in 2014 the Istituto Superiore Per la Storia della Fotografia (Italy) publishes a new book of photographs, 'Evaporations' that previews at the Galleria Studio Paolo Morello (Palermo, Italy) and at the Officina delle Zattere in Venice (Italy).
In 2015, the Italian Institute of Culture and the Russia Federation Ministry of Culture sponsor a traveling exhibition that opens at the Rosphoto Photography Museum (Saint Petersburg, Russia).
In March 2015 Pepper has a retrospective exhibit at the Showcase Gallery in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
Also in May 2015 ‘Evaporations’ shows at the ‘PhotoMed’ photography festival in Sanary Sur Mer (France).
The Italian Institute of Culture and The United States Mission in Russia sponsor a travelling exhibition (2015/2016) of 'Evaporations' throughout Siberia, Russia (Vladivostok, Irkutsk,. Novosibirsk, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Samara and Moscow.
In 2016, Simultaneous to 'Evaporations' in Moscow Pepper exhibits of new prints of 'Rome 1969' at The Art of Foto Gallery in Saint Petersburg.
In November 2016 Pepper has exhibition of «Evaporations» / «Испарения» at Fondazione Terzo Pilastro Museo (Palazzo Cipolla) in Rome (Italy).
Exhibitions
Film
Pepper began in film, working as assistant director for many directors including Joseph Losey ('Les Routes du Sud'), George Roy Hill ('A Little Romance' and 'The World According to Garp') and Dan Curtis ('Ghostbusters'). As a producer Pepper developed and brought to fruition the motion picture 'The Plague' (Albert Camus) directed by Luis Puenzo with William Hurt, Robert Duval, Raoul Julia, Sandrinne Bonnaire and Jean-Marc Barr. Music by Vangelis (Gaumont Distribution, France 1992). He directed the film version, 'Papillion de Nuit' (Trinacra Productions, 2001 winner of the 'Prix Mediavision' (2002) at the Sarlat Film Festival.
Theatre
Pepper's work in New York theatre include: ‘Cubistique’ (Tom Cone), 'The Cruelties of Mrs. Schnayd' (David Suesdhorf), 'Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All To You' (Christopher Durang); he was the youngest director at the Spoleto Festival (Charelston) when he presented 'Inner Voices' by Eduardo De Filippo.
Pepper directed plays in Paris, France, in Europe and Russia. His productions include 'Retraite de Moscow' ('Retreat from Moscow') by William Nicholson at Theatre Montparnasse (Paris 2008); 'Underneath the Lintel' by Glen Berger, Lederman Theatre, Stockholm, Sweden (2005); 'Pour En Découdre' by Marc-Michel Georges; 'Danny et la Grande Bleu' ('Danny and the Deep Blue Sea') by John Patrick Shanley at Avignon Theatre Festival (2000) then Paris' Theatre Déjazet with actor Léa Drucker nominated for a Molière Award (2001).
Pepper was the first foreign director to be invited to the Drama Theatre on Vasilievsky (aka Teatre Satir) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. His Russian language, production of 'My Dear Mathilde' by Israel Horovitz is now permanently in the repertoire (2012). In 2016 Pepper opens a new production of ‘Danny and the Deep Blue Sea’ in Italy (‘Danny e il Profondo Blu’) at Teatro Garibaldi in Palermo with Leonardo Sbragia e Laura Anzani then in Milan before going to Naples, Salerno, Rome and touring Italy. Also in 2016 he opens a production of Sam Shepard’s ‘True West’ at Saint Petersburg Russian State Institute of Performing Arts.