Current Exhibitions
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For much of the 20th century, contact sheets (also called proof sheets) were vital to the practice of photography. The rising popularity of roll film encouraged more and more exposures; the best frame would be chosen later. The photographer first saw positive images on the contact sheet, which was marked up for printing and served as a lasting reference. Digital technology has put an end to that era: the photographer now sees the image instantly, and systems of storage, retrieval, and editing have become increasingly sophisticated.
Bruce Davidson, one of the most highly respected and influential American documentary photographers of the past half century, offered an independent look at America in the age of visual and social homogenization presented by Life and Look magazines.
This video accompanies the exhibition A Graphic Revolution: Prints and Drawings in Latin America, on view in the James and Hanna Bartlett Prints and Drawings Gallery.
This exhibition is the first to highlight the museum’s collection of works on paper produced in Latin America over the past century. Representing a wide range of countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, and Mexico, the works survey how artists have explored national and cultural identity during periods of political upheaval and dramatic social change. In particular, prints and drawings provided artists such as Roberto Matta, José Clemente Orozco, Jesús Rafael Soto, and Rufino Tamayo with a means of self-expression well suited for formal experimentation and reaching the broadest possible audience.
In the last 100 years, China has undergone dramatic changes, including the emperor’s abdication in 1912, the establishment of the Republic of China (1912–49), the Communist takeover under Mao Zedong in 1949, the Cultural Revolution (1966–76), and the establishment of reforms after Mao’s death in 1976.