Words and the resulting paragraphs do not provide a complete portrait of Art Seitz… The composition and richness of his story need more but the palette’s colors are not completely up to the task…
His life timetable calendared from October 7, 1942, until August 23, 2025, but the born and passed away specifics do not maximize the impression he made. True, in some tennis circles mention of his name would draw “Oh, yes…” recognition… A mosaic of his photos could result in knowing “He took that…” nods.
But Seitz was much more… He was frameless. His personality staggered attention. He vanquished territory in a way few people in tennis could. He captivated but not in the same way as the “Soul in Flight” statue of Arthur Ashe at the National Tennis Center in New York or the steel embodiment of Rafael Nadal at Roland-Garros… but similar to the monuments, he “Dominated …” space.
Tennis is competitive not only on court but in the game’s sidebar activities such as sponsorship, agent representation, journalism and certainly photography… where associations continue tournament to tournament. In some cases, they become more… I have included remembrances by Adam Stoltman, Michael Cole and Fred Mullane who worked with him and developed friendships over the years to craft a Seitz salute…
Enjoy the read…
Stoltman, who began his involvement in tennis as a 17-year-old high school stringer for AP at Forest Hills, noted, “My own connection with him as both a friend and colleague goes back over 40 years to about 1978 when I began covering the tennis tour as a photographer myself, and yes, many adventures over the years at Wimbledon, Roland-Garros and along the way.
“I remember visiting Stonehenge together with our mutual friend Roger Gould and a delicious lunch at a country pub which I still have pictures of, ascending the Eiffel Tower together. In later years, we laughed about another adventure that took place at Roland-Garros when the door of the car we were in was attacked…”
I also time traveled with Seitz during a similar period… and was occasionally caught up kayaking a “Whitewater Slalom” activity he staged at Roland-Garros, The Championships or the US Open… A few resulted in cascade soakings, and some were paddle testing challenges… but looking back I came away with “The One and Only… Art” memories.
In the process, borrowing from Joni Mitchell, I witnessed Seitz from “Both sides now…”
Being more succinct, I turn to the 2003 hit song by Talking Heads “And She Was…” reboot it and substitute “He for She”… and it becomes “And He Was”… allowing the three words to illuminate my experiences…
“The world was moving, He was right there with it, And He Was
The world was moving, He was floating above it, And He Was…”
To fully understand the appropriateness of using “And He Was…” it is necessary to overlook the bluntness that regularly teamed with an obtuseness and begin digging in the Sietz mine to find the core of a complex and perplexing paradox…
“And He Was…”
Few took the time to dig to any depth in the Seitz quarry… Had they, the discoveries made would have gleamed… brightened initially by learning that he could play. A solid junior competitor, he attended the University of Florida on a tennis scholarship… and was on the team from 1963–65. During his UF career roster standouts included Bill Tym, a 1963 All-American, Ben Gensemer, with whom he played doubles, Bob Lample and Jack Turpin.
“And He Was…”
After an individual departs eulogies are offered… Stoltman, with his multifaceted background, is an ideal provider.
After leaving the tennis circuit, he became an editor at the New York Times, both on the Sunday Magazine and daily newspaper in Sports, and at Sports Illustrated where he was responsible for feature photography… which makes him the perfect choice to curate Seitz’s “Library of Congress” size photo collection.
Stoltman said, “I do not know much about Art’s childhood, and about his military service, I know little aside from the fact that he was a Captain and served at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Dreux-Louvilliers Air Base in France and Suffolk County Air Force Base on Long Island. He would sometimes talk about the officers’ club at Ramstein, and I believe he also had the equivalent of a Public Relations job amongst his duties… and as he approached many things, was creative in his interpretation of what that role entailed…”
(It should be noted Seitz was an Advertising major at the University of Florida.)
Having seen his photos over the years and I should have realized the “Feel…” he had for scene composition, the “Spot on” accuracy evidenced time and again, reflected his background as a top player… But it wasn’t apparent because he never talked with me about that part of his life.
At the majors, when our paths crossed, he would discuss a match then turn to topics of the day or week such as dealing with cumbersome crowds which made it difficult to access courts, the weather and/or a former player, politician or movie “Name…” he had seen and photographed. Occasionally, I would be “spritzed” with an inclusion about his Air Force days, but the sprinkles were like those that dampened Stoltman.
“And He Was…”
It seems, Seitz began taking photos while in the Air Force to earn extra money. Once his four year stint was completed, he began the trek to becoming a fulltime photographer.
Cole, the legendary British photographer whose skill is showcased in the widely acclaimed book “Shot Master”, worked with Seitz, over the years, at the same Grand Slam tournaments. He remembered, “He was unique in that I can’t think of any other photographer that managed to very often get exclusive access to the players, (and their families), like Art did. He went much further than just ‘behind the scenes’. How he gained this access, as I think many know, may have been questionable…”
Stoltman pointed out… “… the types of images Art was able to capture players away from the court, in intimate and private/personal moments, and in spite of his often in your face manner, he was able to establish a sense of trust with so many luminaries. He created a tapestry of the characters whose images were part of his tennis family…”
“And He Was…”
During The Championships in 2023, the Wimbledon Museum, which owns Cole’s tennis photography collection, staged the “Michael Cole: Capturing the Moment” exhibition. He first worked on Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in 1969… coincidentally, Seitz made his Grand Slam debut in 1968 at the inaugural US Open at Forest Hills. The West Side Tennis Club, which hosted the US National Championships (a.k.a. the US Open) from 1915 until 1977 when the event moved across town to Flushing Meadow, has an area in its stately clubhouse dedicated to Seitz’s tournament photography.
“And He Was…”
Of the majors, Roland-Garros is my favorite. I will sidestep a “Reasons Why…” synopsis, and skip ahead to an unforgettable “Seitzing …”
I often lunched in the Media Restaurant, which in those days was located beneath Court Suzanne-Lenglen, with the Italians. They approached the work respite in “la dotce far nientein…” fashion. Mostly, the entertaining cast included journalist/television personalities Gianni Clerici and Rino Tomassi, photographers Ray Giubilo and Angelo Tonelli, along with a wonderful collection of their fellow Italians who were working at the tournament…
On a remarkable, cringe worthy occasion, Seitz burst upon the table where I was seated with the group… a chair happened to be free… Forgetting to ask if he could join us… he simply put his tray on the table, made room for his camera and sat in the abandoned seat neglecting to inquire if it was vacant because someone had gone to get more to eat… and started talking… the invasion overwhelmed “the sweetness of nothing to do” mood… the Italians quickly finish their meals and departed… treating his arrival like it was a modern day “Anzio”…the World War II beach landing that took place in January 1944 and was named Operation Shingle… at “Pranzo” that day a few additional shingles came loose…
“And He Was…”
There are mixed doubles teams who have enjoyed well documented on court success… when it comes to tennis photography Fred and Susan Mullane standalone… Given their years on the tour and their collection of intuitive photos, they are unrivaled.
Searching his Seitz memories, Fred recalled, “One of the classics was during Roland-Garros when all of us were transitioning from film to digital. It was around 3–4 am in the Villa d’Auteuil, where Art, Michael Cole, Tommy Hindley, Angelo Tonelli, Henk Koster, and Susan and I used to stay. Susan and I were sleeping peacefully when we hear Art screaming ‘What the f**k!’ Suddenly there came a banging at our door and Art yelling ‘Susan, Susan!’
“Since Susan was an early advocate of the coming digital age, she was way ahead of most and had become, sometimes hesitantly, Art’s go to person for digital advice.
“It seems on this particular morning, Art had been sending out, in his usual manner, hundreds of photos to as many clients as possible. At this point, AOL, the ISP of choice at the time, had decided that Art was a spammer and shut off his access to his account.
“Art decided that it would be a good idea to wake Susan and see if she could rectify the situation. Several hours later, totally sleep deprived, she was able to get him back in AOL’s good graces and was able to crawl back to bed for a few more hours of sleep before we had to walk to Roland-Garros for another 12 hour workday.”
“And He Was…”
Over the years, the Seitz’s photo blitzes (to me and others) were consequential. It would be impossible to categorize what I received other than to say the collections from Roland-Garros, The Championships and US Open, (having covered each on 50 occasions), as well as those from his travel adventures and taken at home… was an “Eclectic” combination.
His camera was “in the game…” from the late 1960s through the 2000s… It didn’t matter if it was action, a trophy presentation, a fisheye, a “posterizing” or an off-court human interest shot… His photos were storytelling compendiums… Simply put, “He was an Era of his own”…
“And He Was…”
Cole revealed, “Although I saw Art at every Grand Slam, I attended during my tennis career, I have to say there was little time for me to socialize so I cannot really comment on any aspect of that part of his life. But we always got along well, and I respected the long hours and effort he dedicated to his work. He was a Trojan in that respect.
“Of course, we ‘happened’ to be together very often in the photographer’s seats courtside and from time to time in press restaurants… when I often found myself listening to him rather than there being a two way conversation. If I had something to say I sensed that he wasn’t really taking it in but thinking about what he was going to say next… That was Art.
“By the way, this is not a criticism it’s more of an observation and it made me a good listener.”
“And He Was…”
Cole’s recollection made me smile and think about some of the “Talk at …not with…” conversations we had. It also brought to mind a favorite Winters family saying… “Put a sock in it…” Seitz rarely did. He was imposing… his “Free association” torrents, regularly covered…often vividly… an encyclopedia of topics…
He lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which was known… What wasn’t was his fervor, his commitment… They were defining… Seitz was an “Activist” when it came to local government, the environment and increasing public access to places they could enjoy. “He also had a genuine love and appreciation for all of the very colorful characters which made up the tennis community…” Stoltman said. “He often saw connections between people intuitively. He also gave generously of his knowledge and time to others and to various charities and causes.”
Stoltman remembered a conversation they had during a Wimbledon dinner. He was searching for answers and after explaining what was on his mind, Seitz reacted… “He then recounted some takes of his own where he had fought battles against larger forces not on the side of angels and then he looked at me and smiled and winked as if to say, we are all fighting the same battle and ‘every now and again you win one.’ I was very touched by his insight.”
“And He Was…”
Seitz’s enjoyed eating… his appetite matched his “Big Body…” size and seemed to reflect the reason his “plate filling” interests, away from tennis, resulted in his photographs being so “catholic…”
“And He Was…”
During Roland-Garros, I stayed at The Queen’s Hotel on Rue Bastien Lepage in Paris’ 16th Arrondissement. Every morning before heading to Stade Roland-Garros I would jog and explore the neighborhood. On one jaunt, I headed southwest up Rue Poussin toward the Racing Club de France and there was Seitz blocking the sidewalk, taking “Scenic…” photos… initially I was startled but then I remembered, “He was there because… He was everywhere… that was Art.”
As I worked on this story, I told Cole about what had happened, and he explained how “The Appearance” may have come about. “I used to stay in the hotel every year for the fortnight during Roland-Garros from 1972 – 2010”, he said. “Art ‘discovered’ that I used this hotel years later and decided to use it too.
“‘The Villa’ (as I called it), was at 28 Rue Poussin and over the years I got to know the owners, Jean-Patrice and his mother as well as I could using my schooldays French. Jean-Patrice was aware of Art’s irregular comings and goings, either late at night and/or early in the morning and encouraged him to take a front door key with him, but he either forgot it or left it in his room. Subsequently Art would somehow manage to climb his way in through a downstairs window at the front of the hotel.
“I remember one morning leaving the hotel and Jean-Patrice was in the front lobby looking at the still half open window which Art had clearly not bothered to close.
“He looked at me shrugged his shoulders, and shaking his head said, ‘Oh là ,là, là, là Monsieur Seitz!’ He knew right away who the ‘culprit’ was which I found to be funny…A classic Art Seitz…Unstoppable.”
“And He Was…
Seitz had been dealing with health issues, and the situation was compounded by an automobile accident in 2022… as a result Stoltman became more involved, getting him to focus on ordering his legendary career. “As his health began to decline, we became particularly close… in the course of preserving his work he began calling more, asking for help… wishing that would I look after it. Though he was in physical decline his memory about his pictures was sharp as a tack. He shared photos until the end with so many which was his way of staying connected to the tennis family and community. His passing has left a hole for many.”
As his health regressed, he remained true to his soul… as Stoltman said… He continued to send photos to those on his bountiful email list (including me). His spirits were buoyed on separate occasions when Chris Evert and Mary Carillo visited the care facility where he was hospitalized… he treasured the opportunities to chat with his longtime friends.
Cole admitted, “In all those 45 years in the tennis frankly I could never really ‘Make him out’. He could never be put in any category, but he was different. Clearly tennis was his life. One thing’s for sure though… He was one of a kind and I think everyone on the tennis scene will agree with that… You could say he was unforgettable!”
Mullane remembered, “During this year’s Miami Open, while I was working for Tennis Channel, I was able to drive up to Pompano Beach and visit Art in his assisted living place. He had not been particularly well, and I felt that if I was going to see Art, now would be the time. So, I picked an evening to drive up there. To their credit, Mary Carillo and Chris Evert also made solo trips to see him.
“As we know, Art could be a bit ‘crusty’ and yet the person lying in the bed was a totally reimagined person than many of us remembered. Still sharp as a box of tacks, Art was at peace with his fate, thanked me profusely for visiting, and kept telling me that he ‘had a great life and accomplished everything he set out to do’. That night and Art’s sense of happiness and tranquility is how I will remember him. I wish the rest of the tennis world could have seen what actually lay inside the man towards the end.”
Having been in the game for decades as a player, coach and journalist, I have had experiences that were color filled extravaganzas… None came close to matching the tones and mixtures that being around Art Seitz provided…
For me, he will always be a one off who stood alone… “And He Was…
Postscript…
Behind every story is the development of an idea supported by research followed by rewrites before the feature is complete. In this case “Art Seitz… And He Was” would not be significant had Adam Stoltman, Michael Cole and Fred Mullane not been so forthcoming… What they witnessed is compelling and I am grateful for the “Look back…” sharing they provided… I hope the result does justice to their remembrances and makes them, along with Art… proud.
Title photo of Roland-Garros with a plane aligning with the sponsor’s signage by Art Seitz