CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 3/14/2024

Celebrate Pi Day with 'Einstein: The Man and His Mind'

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." So said Albert Einstein, born on this day in 1879. Both this quotation and this rare 1947 print signed by photographer Philippe Halsman are reproduced from Einstein: The Man and His Mind—Damiani's stunning visual biography, featuring a wealth of signed photographs, letters, manuscripts and more from the collection of Gary S. Berger. According to the editors, Halsman's iconic photograph has become one of the most recognizable images of the twentieth century. "It appeared on a 1966 US postage stamp and was featured on the cover of the December 31, 1999, edition of Time magazine, which honored Einstein as the 'Person of the Century.' … In his book Philippe Halsman: A Retrospective, Halsman explained the circumstances of the photo: 'I admired Albert Einstein more than anyone I ever photographed, not only as the genius who single-handedly had changed the foundation of modern physics but even more as a rare and idealistic human being. Personally, I owed him an immense debt of gratitude. After the fall of France, it was through his personal intervention that my name was added to the list of artists and scientists who, in danger of being captured by the Nazis, were given emergency visas to the United States.'"