Richard Avedon, Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent, 1981
Gertrude Käsebier, The Sketch (Beatrice Baxter), 1903
Lewis Hine, Powerhouse Mechanic, 1920
Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936
Mary Ellen Mark, Lily with Her Rag Doll, Seattle, 1983
American Dreams: Iconic Images of 20th Century Life
American Dreams is a wonderful exhibition that provides a survey of the great American photographers of the 20th century. The exhibition consists of of photographs from arguably the world’s most important photographic museum, George Eastman House, and is currently being shown at Australia’s Bendigo Art Gallery.
The works highlight the pioneering role these American artists have had on the world stage in developing and shaping photography, and the impact these widely published images have had on the greater society. Their far-reaching images helped shape American culture, and had an impact on the fundamental role photography has in communications today. Even more than this, we can see through these artists the burgeoning love of photography that engaged a nation.
These images show us not only the development of photography, but also provide some of the most powerful social documentary photography of the last century. We see extraordinary moments captured in the lives of a wide range of Americans, works that distil the dramatic transformation that affected people during the 20th century: the affluence, degradation, loss, hope and change, both personally and throughout society.
American Dreams: Iconic Images of 20th Century Life
Photo-Gallery: American Dreams/Iconic Images of 20th Century Life
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