Exhibitions
DOROTHEA LANGE: POLITICS OF SEEING
Frist Art Museum / 919 Broadway March 15, 2019 - May 27, 2019
Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange (1895–1965) is recognized as one of the most important photographers of the twentieth century, and her insightful and compassionate work has exerted a profound influence on the development of modern documentary photography. With hardship and human suffering as a consistent theme throughout her career, Lange created arresting portraits with the aim of sparking reform. This is the first exhibition to examine her work through the lens of social and political activism, presenting iconic photographs from the Great Depression, the grim conditions of incarcerated Japanese Americans during World War II, and inequity in our judicial system in the 1950s. The exhibition encompasses approximately 130 vintage and modern photographs and personal memorabilia, including a handwritten letter from author John Steinbeck. Portions of a documentary produced by one of Lange’s granddaughters will also be on view.
Organized by the Oakland Museum of California
Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing is supported in part by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Susie Tompkins Buell Fund, Ann Hatch and Paul Discoe, the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, and Peter Rossi/Stifel, Nicolaus & Co.
Image:
Dorothea Lange. Ex-Slave with a Long Memory, Alabama, 1938. Gelatin silver print. © The Dorothea Lange Collection, the Oakland Museum of California, City of Oakland, Gift of Paul S. Taylor
