Exhibition: ‘Gordon Parks: 100 Moments’ at New York State Museum

Exhibition dates: 26th January – 19th May 2013

The more I see the work of this outstanding artist, the more I fall in love with it. There is just a beautiful lyricism here – nothing extraneous or superfluous within the picture frame, sensitively balanced photographs that are whimsical and engaging. A woman and her dog in Harlem, NY, 1943 (below) is just a joy.

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Many thankx to the New York State Museum for allowing me to publish the photographs in the posting. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.

Gordon Parks
A dance group, Frederick Douglass housing project, Anacostia, Washington, DC, 1942
1942
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress LC-USF34- 013381-C
17.5″ x 22″

Gordon Parks
A woman and her dog in Harlem, NY, 1943
1943
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress LC-USW3-024045-E
23″ x 21″

Gordon Parks
Street Scene: Three young boys, Harlem, NY, 1943
1943
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress LC-USW3-023992-E
23″ x 21″

Gordon Parks
Street Scene: Two children walking, Harlem, NY, 1943
1943
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress LC-USW3-023994-E
23″ x 21″

“A new exhibition celebrating the 100th birthday of world-renowned photographer Gordon Parks opens on January 26, 2013 at the New York State Museum. Gordon Parks: 100 Moments showcases six decades of Parks’ photographs, including numerous never-before-seen images and Parks’ most famous photo, American Gothic, Washington, D.C. On display at the State Museum through May 19, 2013, the stunning visual collection is organized by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The exhibit also includes images from the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information (OWI) collections at the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

“Gordon Parks was a true Renaissance man – musician, writer, film director and, most notably, world-class photographer,” said State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. “His work helped drive the Civil Rights movement by exposing the stark realities of life faced by so many African Americans. We are honored to exhibit some of his most important images at the New York State Museum.”

“The State Museum is honored to present this landmark exhibition by Gordon Parks, one of New York’s greatest photographers,” said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. “This is truly a unique opportunity to see these powerful images from the Schomburg’s vast collections together in a beautifully curated exhibition.”

Known for documenting the ordinary yet compelling lives of African Americans in cities like Harlem and Washington, D.C., Parks began his career in 1948 as a professional photographer for Life magazine, where he was the publication’s first African American employee. Tackling issues in black communities like post-World War II urban migration, the expansion of black newspapers and radio, entrenched segregation and economic discrimination, Parks was a consummate storyteller of urban life through his ever-questioning lens. Parks died in 2006.”

Press releae from the New York State Museum website

Gordon Parks
Policeman, badge no. 19687, NY, 1943
1943
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress LC-DIG-FSA-8d28522
23″ x 21″

Gordon Parks
Boy at Swimming Pool, Harlem, NY, 1942
1942
Gordon Parks Collection, Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library
22″ x 17.5″

Gordon Parks
Grandfather and grandchild on Seaton Road, Washington, DC, 1942
1942
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress LC-USF34-013318-C
21″ x 17″

Gordon Parks
First Aid: Interracial activities at Camp Nathan Hale, Southfields, NY, 1943
1943
Gordon Parks Collection, Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library
22″ x 17.5″