Albertina Museum, Vienna
August 2021
August 24–November 28, 2021
American Photography presents an overview of the development of American photography between the 1930s and the 2000s. Displaying works by thirty-three artists, including William Eggleston and Diane Arbus, the exhibition introduces the essential currents that once revolutionized the canon of classic motifs and photographic practices. The effects of this have reached far beyond the country’s borders to the present day.
Prior to the 1960s, color photography was primarily associated with advertising and fashion. Pioneering artists such as William Eggleston were the first to experiment with color as a stylistic device, reinventing the medium of photography as a vehicle for serious artistic expression. Eggleston’s works in particular capture ordinary motifs from unorthodox perspectives, cleverly highlighting them through formally self-contained expanses of color.
The exhibition comprises examples from the Albertina’s rich photographic holdings. Since the foundation of its Department of Photography in 1999, the Albertina has succeeded in compiling one of the most prominent collections of American photography around the globe.
Press Release