Matty Stern | Meeting Point: Diplomacy – 47 years of U.S.-Israel Relations as photographed by Matty Stern

Matty Stern has been the official photographer of the U.S. Embassy in Israel since 1975.
Along with his camera, he has been present at virtually all the pivotal events in U.S- Israel relations over the course of 47 years.
He has documented all the official visits of American representatives to Israel: Presidents, Secretaries of State, as well as other dignitaries and artists.
His photographs provide authentic documentation of historical events.
Matty’s sensitive eye and ability to connect with his subjects offer a glimpse into rare and fascinating moments along with a personal and intimate perspective on historical events and personas.
The subjects of Matty’s photos are aware they are being photographed and that the image represents an historic occasion. However, Matty manages to insert his own style and shed another light on these events. He is excited by the events being documented, and his lens preserves that excitement. He documents the main event, along with the moment before and the moment after. The people featured in his photos trust Matty and therefore go on with their work as usual. He is able to portray them as “ordinary” people before and after, and as official personas of international importance during formal occasions.
Naturally, most of the photographs are from events of global historical significance. Matty was well aware of their importance and documented them in an iconic way to be remembered in the annals of history. These are the official images that we all saw in the newspapers: the signing of the peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, press conferences with Yasser Arafat and U.S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and many others. In this exhibition you will see these great events from unofficial angles: moments of hesitation behind the scenes, human moments of laughter and tears, compassion and humility to bring these dignitaries closer to us.
Matty also documented numerous cultural events featuring American artists who visited Israel over the years. These beautiful photos can be seen on the screen at the exhibition.