Leon Levinstein, Coney Island, c. 1980, gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 in., Gift to Scripps College, 2013, Scripps College, Claremont, CA
DOCUMENTERS AND STORYTELLERS:
PHOTOGRAPHIC NARRATIVES IN THE 20th CENTURY
August 29 – October 18, 2015
Opening Reception: September 12, 2015, 7-9 pm
Through generous donations of artworks and funds, the Scripps art collection has grown steadily of late. Over the last year or two, the photography collection in particular has been greatly enriched.
This exhibition mines these gifts to explore the evolution of documentary photography as it expanded to include artistic expression. Works by Eve Arnold, Ilse Bing, Dmitri Baltermants, Leonard Freed, Michael Kenna, Leon Levinstein, Barbara Morgan, Tatiana Parcero, August Sander, and Marion Post Wolcott will be displayed. While at first these images might seem easily divided into either the factual or the artistic, closer inspection reveals elements of both within each work. Through the pieces, the artists confront topics such as war, suffering, love, and human resilience in the face of insurmountable obstacles.
Featured image: Leon Levinstein, Man wearing Texas pin surrounded by people, n.d., gelatin silver print, 10 1/2 x 13 1/4 in., Scripps College, Gift of Geoffrey West