Treasures of the Alfred Stieglitz Center: Photographs from the Permanent Collection opened on December 22 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Drawing from the institution’s impressive permanent collection, the exhibition features rarely seen works by William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877), Gustave Le Gray (1820-1884), and Charles Aubry (1803-1883). The show includes a selection of modern and contemporary works including pieces by Robert Frank (b. 1954) and Diane Arbus (1923-1971), visually tracing the history of photography and its evolution as a medium. There are also a number of recent acquisitions on view.
The core of the exhibition is a collection of works by Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946), one of the foremost figures in twentieth-century American art, and his protégé, Dorothy Norman (1905-1997). The featured works were created during the years of their creative exchange, which spanned from 1929 until Stieglitz’s death in 1946. As a result of her close relationship with Stieglitz, Norman helped found the Alfred Stieglitz Center at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1968 when she donated her vast art collection to the institution.
Treasures of the Alfred Stieglitz Center will be on view through April 7, 2013.
