Photography functioned not just as fine art, but as social commentary in the postwar United States.
1945–1980 C.E.
videos + essays
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Diane Arbus, A Box of Ten Photographs
In 10 photographs, Arbus intimately portrays her sitters and captures compelling scenes of mid-century American life.
Richard Avedon, Audrey Hepburn, New York, January 1967
Audrey Hepburn emphatically reproduced by Avedon.
Rashid Johnson on Robert Frank’s The Americans
"He allows us to see just a few things, and the narratives that we're able to build as a result is what really makes this work so important."
How Photographs of Poverty in the Americas Ignited an International Battle over Propaganda
The episode reveals how such approaches by the press can override and contaminate the subjects portrayed.
Richard Misrach’s early work and Border Cantos
Photographer Richard Mirach recounts his work, from his early political aspirations in the 1970s to his current series about left-behind artifacts along the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
An interview with Robert Frank
Photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank recalls his experience as a young artist and discusses his seminal book The Americans (1958)
New Topographics
New Topographics reinvented the landscape, making the photograph an expression of responsibility.
Garry Winogrand, Democratic National Convention, Los Angeles, 1960
Go backstage at the 1960 Democratic National Convention with photographer Gary Winogrand.
Gordon Parks, Off on My Own (Harlem, New York)
Gordon Parks and the writer Ralph Ellison collaborated to show that Harlem is everywhere.
