Background
Max Yavno was born on April 26, 1911, in New York, United States. He had one sister.
Max Yavno was born on April 26, 1911, in New York, United States. He had one sister.
Max Yavno earned a Bachelor of Specialized Studies in 1932 from City College of New York, then attended the Graduate School of Business Administration (1932-1933) and the Graduate Faculty of Political Science (1933-1934) at Columbia University in New York City. He studied cinematography at the University of California in Los Angeles (1972-1975).
Concentrating on his personal work, Max Yavno operated his own commercial photography studio in Los Angeles (1954-1975). Previously he worked on the WPA (1936-1942) and as a social worker for the New York City Home Relief Bureau (1935).
Max Yavno was president of the Photo League in 1938-1939.
Quotes from others about the person
History professor Constance B. Schulz said of him: "For financial reasons he worked as a commercial advertising photographer for the next twenty years (1954-1975), creating finely crafted still lifes that appeared in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. He returned to artistic landscape photography in the 1970s, when his introspective approach found a more appreciative audience. Funding from the National Endowment for the Arts enabled him to travel to Egypt and Israel in 1979."
Max Yavno was married at age 19 and divorced three years later.