American Modern: Abbott, Evans, Bourke-White

THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
February 5–May 15, 2011


Galleries 1–4

Overview: In the 1930s, photographers pushed the genre of documentary photography to the forefront of public culture in the United States and onto the walls of newly opened museums and art galleries. That historic development receives new insight with this exhibition focusing exclusively on the work of American photographers Berenice Abbott, Walker Evans, and Margaret Bourke-White.

 

 Walker Evans. Posed Portraits, New York, 1932. The Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Mrs. James Ward Thorne. © Walker Evans Archive, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.



Photographic activity flourished in America in the 1930s during the Great Depression, and the genre of documentary emerged as a mode of understanding contemporary events. While the world was in a turbulent state—national and international economies were being severely tested, political systems were in flux, and Europe was preparing again for war—Americans recognized their own viable cultural heritage and sought to record and expand that heritage. Indeed, the country’s literary, artistic, and architectural traditions were fortified in the period’s explosion of popular literature, the founding of new art museums, and the establishment of New Deal government-funded arts programs.

At the same time, advances in technology, production, and distribution transformed mass media in this country: Americans enjoyed weekly picture magazines, radio broadcasts, and popular movies in unprecedented numbers. Photography played an especially critical role in contemporary culture, appearing in books, newspapers, and magazines as well as being accorded exhibitions in art museums and galleries. Photographs crossed the boundaries between public and private use, impersonal documentation and expressive creation, and popular visual culture and fine art.

American Modern examines the practice of documentary photography through the work of three of the most important photographers of the decade, each of whom contributed a fundamental, independent, and novel idea about documentary to the common pool of artistic practice. For Abbott, it was the notion that photography was a means of critical dialogue and communication. Evans thoroughly investigated the idea that photography has a unique and essential relationship to time. And Bourke-White’s documentary practice fused the logic and pageantry of modern industry with the drama and individual narratives of its subjects.

Catalogue: A lavishly illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

Sponsor:

This exhibition is co-organized by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine.

The exhibition and accompanying publication have been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, and the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.

Support for the Chicago presentation of this exhibition is generously provided in part by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Generous support is provided by members of the Exhibitions Trust: Kenneth and Anne Griffin, Thomas and Margot Pritzker, the Earl and Brenda Shapiro Foundation, Donna and Howard Stone, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Sullivan, and an anonymous donor

SANTA FE WINTER FIESTA 2011



The first annual Santa Fe Winter Fiesta takes place February 18 - 27, 2011 throughout Santa Fe's historic streets and in the nearby Rocky Mountains. Each day will be a celebration of the season with daily special events focusing on Santa Fe's bountiful outdoor opportunities, Native American and Spanish cultures, the region's savory and diverse cuisine, the city's performing arts, and Santa Fe's endless fine arts. See here for details. Ticket information here.


The festival will conclude with the 14th Annual ARTfeast, one of Santa Fe's most popular annual events. ARTfeast is the annual fundraising event for ARTsmart, which was founded in 1993 to address the lack of funding for art programs and supplies in Santa Fe public schools. In a city built on and sustained by the arts, ARTsmart is committed to funding the creative thinkers of tomorrow.  ARTsmart has distributed just under $835,000 through 2010 to ARTsmart projects, public school programs, art related organizations and endowment funds.

Be sure to get an early start on the Fiesta and join us February 11, from 5 - 7 PM, for the opening reception for Richard C. Miller: A Retrospective at Monroe Gallery.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948

Margaret Bourke -White: Gandhi, 1946

On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was shot while he was walking to a platform from which he was to address a prayer meeting. The assassin, Nathuram Godse, was a Hindu nationalist with links to the extremist Hindu Mahasabha, who held Gandhi responsible for weakening India by insisting upon a payment to Pakistan. Godse and his co-conspirator Narayan Apte were later tried and convicted; they were executed on November 15, 1949. Gandhi's memorial at Rāj Ghāt, New Delhi, bears the epigraph "Hē Ram", (Devanagari: हे ! राम or, He Rām), which may be translated as "Oh God". These are widely believed to be Gandhi's last words after he was shot, though the veracity of this statement has been disputed. Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation through radio:

"Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere, and I do not quite know what to tell you or how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of the nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that; nevertheless, we will not see him again, as we have seen him for these many years, we will not run to him for advice or seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow, not only for me, but for millions and millions in this country."

RICHARD C. MILLER: 1912 - 2010

We are very pleased that our forthcoming exhibition is featured in the February/March issue of The Santa Fean magazine, just out this week.

ART

openings  reviews  people



The Monroe Gallery of Photography (112 Don Gaspar, 505-992-0800, monroegallery.com), where this Richard C. Miller picture of a relaxed-in-her-gorgeousness Marilyn Monroe (from the set of the 1959 Bill Wilder classic Some Like It Hot) can be found, specializes in iconic imagery: Ellis Island in its neglected beauty, the Civil Rights movement, the famous, the infamous. But as with this color image of Marilyn, the photographer(s) at Monroe's rarely if ever seek to capitalize or promote celebrityhood or nostalgia, they're after those ineffable Garry Winogrand-type moments of the unexpected, the off-guard, the interstitial, which reveal far more about time, place, and people than anything posed or staged, such as this very human, very lovely side of a woman whose fans and handlers rarely allowed to be human or lovely. -- Devon Jackson

RICHARD C. MILLER: 1912 - 2010

A RETROSPECTIVE

Fenruary 11 - April 24

View the exhibition here.

MARK SHAW "VANITY FAIR" PHOTOGRAPHS

As published in Hemispheres and Sky magazines

Several friends of the gallery have pointed out that the January issues of the in-flight magazines of United (Hemispheres) and Delta (Sky) feature one of Mark Shaw's photographs from his Vanity Fair campaign. The photograph was published for the recent Photo LA fair, but regrettably did not credit Mark Shaw. Here is some information about the photograph and the award-wining Vanity Fair campaign it was shot for.

Mark Shaw worked as a top print advertising photographer until his untimely death in 1969 at the age of 47. Some of Mark Shaw's most beautiful work was shot for Vanity Fair's lingerie advertising campaign; fellow fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon  contributed concurrently to this well-known, long-running campaign. This series of images was created over a ten-year period. It garnered yearly recognition by the prestigious Art Director's club. In his later years, Mark Shaw began filming commercials for television, which also won him several awards.

The chief model for the Vanity Fair campaign was Carmen Dell' Orefice. A few months shy of her fourteenth birthday in the summer of 1945, Carmen Dell’ Orefice, an introverted, skinny kid of Italian-Hungarian extraction (father a musician, mother a dancer) walked over to the Vogue studios at 480 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan and reported for work. Her first pictures – by the underrated Clifford Coffin – show a serious, disconcerting beauty with an intense gaze, a dancer’s elongated lines and a swimmer’s athletic shoulders, and on the strength of them Vogue offered her an exclusive $7.50 an hour contract.

Within weeks Carmen was working with the defining fashion photographers of the era: Cecil Beaton, who introduced her to Dali, Irving Penn, who dubbed her ‘Little Carmen’ and shot her as Snow White, Cinderella and Red Riding Hood, Erwin Blumenfeld who saluted her talents as a “great actress” and Horst P. Horst who rhapsodized over her “American beauty of another, antique age”. The $7.50 an hour went dutifully home to her mother on Third Avenue. By 1947, 1947, Carmen got a raise to $10–$25 per hour; by 1953 $300.

Mark Shaw is perhaps best known for his photographs of Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy, which he shot originally for LIFE magazine and later as the Kennedys' "unofficial" family photographer. He developed a strong friendship with JFK and Jackie and regularly visited the White House during their time there. After JFK's death, a selection of Mark Shaw’s photographs was published as a best selling book, The John F. Kennedy's: A Family Album. The book was re-published in 2000 by Rizzoli with new additions.

Jacqueline Kennedy swinging Caroline in surf, Hyannis Port, 1959

Mark Shaw also began working for LIFE in 1952. In his 16 years with the magazine, he shot 27 covers, more than 100 stories which included the magazine's European fashion collections. As a leading fashion photographer, he also worked for Harper's Bazaar, Mademoiselle and a host of other publications. He was one of the first photographers to use color when shooting the runways and "backstage" at the couture shows

After his death, most of his work was hastily put into storage. All but a small number of photographs remained unseen for almost 30 years. In 1999, his only child, David Shaw, and David's wife, Juliet Cuming, moved the collection to Vermont. It is housed in an off the grid straw bale structure which they built themselves following sustainable principles. The building is powered by wind and solar energy. Monroe Gallery exhibited a major retrospective of Shaw's photographs in 2008, and is pleased to represnt the Mark Shaw Photographic Archive.

EXHIBITION LOOKS TO THE BEAUTY OF ICE AND SNOW

Eddie Adams: Hill and Gully Riders, New Kensington, PA, 1958

 As January wanes and winter endures over most of the Northern hemisphere, snow is covering much of the United States and many regions will experience the coldest temperatures of the season this weekend. With one week remaining in our current "'Tis The Season" exhibition, here is a selection of classic photographs with a winter theme or setting. Bundle up!

Harold Roth: Fulton Fish Market, New York, 1946

Ruth Orkin: White Stoops, New York, 1951

Verner Reed: Trees In Snow Storm, Stowe, Vermont,1971

Peter Keetman: Self-Portrait, 1962

John Dominis: Southern Pacific Engine, Donner Pass, California, 1949

Afred Eisenstaedt: Evergreen Trees at -51 Degrees Mt. Tremblant, Canada, 1944

View the full exhibition here.

5OTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INAGURATION OF JOHN. F. KENNEDY

Alfred Eisenstaedt: President John F.Kennedy with his wife, Jacqueline, and Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson at inaugural celebration, Mayflower Hotel, Washington, DC, January 20, 1961



50 years ago, John F. Kennedy began his inaguration speech at 12:51 Friday, 20 January 1961, immediately after taking the presidential oath of office. It included the memorable line:

"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country"

More: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

PHOTOGRAPHY MARKET 2011



We received a New Year's email from Penelope Dixon and Associates announcing the relocation of their headquarters to New York City. The newsletter also offered a review of the state of the photography market as we enter 2011.

"We also thought we would take the opportunity to share a brief synopsis of our market analysis for 2010 as follows:


Although the broader art market saw a decline in value throughout 2009, photography remained relatively stable in 2010 with auction values throughout the year that were close to 2008 levels. In addition to sales at auction, photographs offered at shows such as AIPAD (Association of International Photography Art Dealers) and Art Basel Miami Beach have been realistically priced which has helped to spur sales for galleries and dealers.

In the first half of 2010, the photography market continued to show signs of stability and growth with a notable sale of Irving Penn works at Christie’s, New York in April where every photograph sold, many for considerably more than the estimates. In addition, were the sale of the Polaroid Collection at Sotheby’s in June and the Avedon sale at Christie’s in November, both of which saw new auction records for several artists. An analysis of auction sales over the past year indicates that that global photography sales have returned to levels seen just prior to the peak of the market. This trend will hopefully continue throughout 2011, providing further new growth in the photography market."

PHOTO LA BY JEFF DUNAS

Again we feature an article from one of our daily must-read photography sources:

LA LETTRE DE LA PHOTOGRAPHY
L'Oeil de La Lettre

January 18, 2011

Last Friday was the opening of the 20th PhotoLA. Initiated twenty years ago by Los Angeles Gallery owner Stephen Cohen, this venerable photo fair has become the largest photo – centric art fair of its kind west of New York. The fair, which originally gathered a small group of American galleries at the Butterfield and Butterfield auction headquarters on Sunset Boulevard, has since grown into a large and influential fair comprised of the world’s most influential photography galleries. Cohen seemed ebullient and relaxed as he surveyed the 20th edition of his dream art fair. Collectors, actors, models and the fashionable, chic art crowd of Los Angeles all came to enjoy the party. The usual suspects were present – prominent galleries presented works ranging from rare black and whites to contemporary color works. It is unlikely that people were able to see the works on display with so much more to see than just the photographs. The fair ran from Friday through Monday evening. PhotoLA has proved to be an important indicator of our local economy’s resurgence. In four days we’ll know if the hip Los Angeles crowd is still devoted to photography.

As PhotoLA entered its second day a sizable crowd came to see the pictures. There was no dominant thread – no new “flavor of the month”, no new currents to speak of that I could discern. There was a bit of everything from the truly vintage (a 1921 signed Edward Weston Pictorialist print – price: $600,000 -) to the truly contemporary massive color prints, including works by Stephen Wilkes

.

As I walked through the fair – two – three times, I decided that rather than try to understand the deeper meaning of the works presented and what the total said for the future of print sales, I would photograph my « coups de Cœur » – images demanding my attention. In the end, all but one were vintage – somehow the smaller, black and white prints meant more to me than the contemporary work and I’m not sure if that bodes well. The fair was a success – attendance was good. The truth is a great photograph is still as rare as ever – an image with depth and meaning is something to covet and cherish as always. Photography is a glorious medium and will remain glorious when it’s great. There are few great practitioners, a fact that has never changed – that can truly say something that touches the eyes and the heart.

Can there be too much of a good thing? Parallel to PhotoLA, is Classic Photography Los Angeles, a fringe group of 13 galleries that have created their own competing event. Classic Photographs Los Angeles ran for two days, Saturday and Sunday, with an opening reception on Friday evening. Some of the evening’s visitors included Virginia Heckert of the Getty Museum, Dr. Katherine Martinez, the new Director of the Center for Creative Photography in Arizona, members of the Los Angeles County Art Museum Photographic Arts Council, former gallery owner and dealer G. Ray Hawkins, Lauren Wendle, Publisher of Photo District News, Carol McCusker, former curator of the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego and others.

Jeff Dunas Los Angeles

Jeff Dunas has been a professional photographer for forty years. He devotes his time to his personal work and the Palm Springs Photo Festival of which he is Founder and Director. He has attended all 20 PhotoLA fairs.

Links
http://www.palmspringsphotofestival.com/

http://www.palmspringsphotofestival.com/community

http://www.photola.com/


Full article with slide show here.



PHOTO LA 2011 CLOSES

Thank you, Photo LA for another great year!

Next up: The AIPAD Photography Show