The Cleveland Museum of Art Extends PROOF: Photography in the Era of the Contact Sheet

Cleveland (July 30, 2020) — The Cleveland Museum of Art has extended its free special exhibition PROOF: Photography in the Era of the Contact Sheet through Sunday, November 29. The exhibition originally opened February 7, 2020. To date, more than 30,000 people have visited PROOF: Photography in the Era of the Contact Sheet.

The exhibition features approximately 180 works, many of which are contact sheets, from the collection of Clevelanders Mark Schwartz and Bettina Katz that highlight the aims and methods of a broad range of photographers from the second half of the 20th century. The exhibition presents key works by leading figures, including Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Harry Benson, Harry Callahan, Robert Frank, Philippe Halsman, Irving Penn and Albert Watson, as well as Schwartz’s friends Arnold Newman, Larry Fink and Emmet Gowin. PROOF: Photography in the Era of the Contact Sheet is on view in the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Exhibition Hall.  

PROOF: Photography in the Era of the Contact Sheet features 11 sections that take viewers through the photographer’s creative process and describe the subject matter on view. Please view the press kit for this information and a selection of visual highlights.  

Visit cma.org to reserve your free general admission tickets and to review the museum’s new safety procedures. 

CONTACT SHEET: After a roll of film was developed, the negatives were cut into strips and printed by contact. The 36 exposures of a roll of 35 mm film or the 12 exposures of 2¼ inch film fit comfortably on an 8 x 10 inch sheet of paper. With an 8 x 10 inch enlarger, the same array of negatives could produce a so-called enlarged contact, often measuring 16 x 20 or 20 x 24 inches.

Generous support is provided by Fred and Laura Bidwell, Sally and Sandy Cutler, and Viki and Al Rankin