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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Victor Skrebneski of Chicago, who passed
4away on April 4, 2020; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Victor Skrebneski was born in Chicago to Joseph
6and Anna Skrebneski on December 17, 1929; he grew up in a row
7house at Grand and Rush in Chicago; he attended Waller High
8School in Chicago; he later attended the School of the Art
9Institute of Chicago in 1943 and the Institute of Design at the
10Illinois Institute of Technology from 1947 to 1949; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Victor Skrebneski began working as a photographer
12in New York and Europe from 1950 to 1951; he set up his own
13photography studio in Chicago in 1952; he became the exclusive
14photographer for Estée Lauder's worldwide ad campaign "the
15Estée Lauder woman" in 1962; he worked on ad campaigns for a
16number of fashion labels, including Chanel, Ralph Lauren,
17Marshall Field's, and Saks; he began creating promotional
18posters for the Chicago International Film Festival in 1966,
19which were noted by founder Michael Kutza for putting the
20festival on the map; he was instrumental in creating the City
21Gallery, a permanent photography gallery at the Chicago Water
22Tower, in 1999; he also designed the Water Tower Park, which
23was opened and dedicated by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley on July

 

 

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17, 2000; he published a number of photography books and
2catalogues, with his first book released in 1969 and his 18th
3photojournalism book printed in 2019; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Over the course of his 70-year career, Victor
5Skrebneski became known for his iconic black and white
6portraits of artists, musicians, politicians, actors, models,
7religious leaders, and writers; his subjects included Bette
8Davis, Orson Welles, President Barack Obama and First Lady
9Michelle Obama, Cindy Crawford, Oprah Winfrey, and many more;
10he was noted by former subjects for his ability to capture them
11as they really were; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Victor Skrebneski's work has been featured in
13exhibits in his native Chicago and around the world, in
14addition to being a part of permanent collections in a number
15of museums located in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles; he
16has earned a number of awards and honors, including the Gold
17Hugo Award from the Chicago International Film Festival in
181989, the Beautification Award from Keep Chicago Beautiful in
192002, and the Legends Awards from the Pratt Institute of New
20York in 2004; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Victor Skrebneski was a lifelong Chicagoan; he was
22known for being well-dressed, down-to-earth, mischievously
23humorous, fairly private, and kind; he especially enjoyed

 

 

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1parties and dining at La Scarola on 721 West Grand Avenue in
2Chicago; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Victor Skrebneski will be remembered for his
4creative genius and his lasting impact on both photography and
5the City of Chicago; therefore, be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
7ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
8Victor Skrebneski and extend our sincere condolences to his
9family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
10further
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to the family of Victor Skrebneski as an expression
13of our deepest sympathy.