Pace London has announced American Classics, an exhibition of key works from photographers who emerged in post-war America. The show occupies a space that is between artistic vision and documentary investigation, featured artists known for their photographs of the North American people, their culture and the landscape. Pieces Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Irving Penn, Henry Wessel and Garry Winogrand will be displayed at 6 Burlington Gardens.
Revealing American culture and history, the event provides an insight that continues to resonate today. With Friedlander, Frank, Callahan, Wessel and Winogrand capturing naturalism and socialism, in, for example, The Americans (1955-56) in which Frank exposes the diversity of culture in pure and candid vision. Combined with Winogrand’s potent and frequently comic images, both create connections as a representation of the American way of life in urban parks and zoos. Cast against the backdrop of current events, these snapshots of the Western world make poignant and lasting commentaries of economic development and identification.
Social groups, majority and marginalised alike, are revealed by Arbus, Avedon and Penn. Patriotic young man with a flag (1967), and Charlie Chaplin document the impressive capacities of these photographers to chronicle and capture contemporary culture, through the faces of people.
Also features is the work of Harry Callahan, known for his eclectic subjects and conceptual composition. Detroit (1943) showcases the use of multiple exposures, portraying both the congestion and vitality of the city, where as Chicago (1949) evokes graphic range through a geometric composition.
American Classics, Pace London, until 17 December. Visit: www.pacegallery.com for more information.
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Credits
- Garry Winogrand, Peace Demonstration, New York (1970). Courtesy of Pace London and The Estate of Garry Winogrand.
