AUGUST SANDER

Posted on 2012-12-10

The exhibition of German photographer August Sander (1876-1964) draws together 175 photographs and a wide range of archival material from the collections of Tate, National Galleries of Scotland, Anthony d’Offay and Gerd Sander.

This presentation creates a unique opportunity to see the different facets of August Sander’s photographic practice, including his celebrated portraits alongside less well known aspects of his work.
August Sander’s most significant project was ‘The People of the Twentieth Century’. Sander wanted to create an encyclopaedic survey of different types of people from the first half of the twentieth century. His working life in Germany spanned the First World War, the interwar years, the rise of the Nazi party, the Second World War and its aftermath.

His photographs are unflinching documents of a society going through huge change. The work reflects both the catastrophic political convulsions that Germany was enduring and a society slowly coming to terms with the impact of industrialisation. The clarity and breadth of his vision remains powerful and his vocational portraits still resonate today.

Exhibition runs through till January 6th, 2013

New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
New Walk
Leicester
LE1 7EA

www.leicester.gov.uk

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WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: IMAGES OF ARMED CONFLICT

Posted on 2012-12-10

The exhibition examines the relationship between war and photography, exploring the types of photographs created during wartime, as well as by whom and for whom. Rather than being organized chronologically, or as a survey of “greatest hits,” the images are arranged to show the progression of war: from the acts that instigate armed conflict to “the fight,” to victory and defeat, and photos that memorialize a war, its combatants, and its victims. Portraits of servicemen, military and political leaders, and civilians are a consistent presence.

Images have been recorded by more than 280 photographers, from 28 nations, span 6 continents and more than 165 years, from the Mexican-American War in the mid-1800s to present-day conflicts. Iconic photographs as well as previously unknown images are featured, taken by military photographers, commercial photographers (portrait and photojournalist), amateurs, and artists.

Exhibition runs through till February 3rd, 2013

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
1001 Bissonnet Street
Houston
TX
77005
USA

www.mfah.org

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MARK COHEN – GRIM STREET

Posted on 2012-12-10

Pennsylvania’s rust belt. In Mark Cohen’s photographs the overcast days feel as dark as nights. Worn brick walls and pavements feel tired and grey. The streets, back alleys and yards are inhabited by shadows and traces of human presence. Occasionally we find a full on confrontation with the inhabitants of Wilkes-Barre. It is as if the camera was an alien probe in search of the true mood and feeling of this industrial town.

Mark Cohen’s Grim Street is a seminal piece of 1960-1970s street photography. Leaving the much walked paths of its predecessors, but not the town of Wilkes-Barre, Cohen approaches photography in a truly confrontational manner, focusing often on the abstract patterns, textures and gloomy atmosphere that results from fast grab shots. Radical crops, disorienting closeups, a touch of of-kilter humour and the strong contrast resulting from the use of flash all took the art world by storm. In one photograph, against a dark and sinister background a woman’s face is occluded by a voluminous bubble gum and a hand seems to come off her head, in another a group of women all hide their faces from the encounter with the camera.

Exhibition runs through till January 27th, 2013

New Walk Museum and Art Gallery
102 Bute Street
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
Wales
CF10 5AD

www.thirdfloorgallery.com

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