GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A new exhibit at the Grand Rapids Art Museum will feature the work of 70 influential photographers.
The exhibit, titled “Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder,” opens February 11 and runs through April 29. The exhibition features 145 works of photography from the collection of humanitarian and photographer Judy Glickman Lauder.
Among the photographers included in the collection are Berenice Abbott, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Danny Lyon, Sally Mann, Gordon Parks and James Van Der Zee. There are also photographs of photographers important to the history of the art form, such as Irving Bennett Ellis, Lotte Jacobi and Alma Lavenson.
“The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s presentation of ‘Presence’ offers a thoughtful and nuanced perspective of the world through the eyes of some of the most famous and influential photographers of the past century,” GRAM Associate Curator Jennifer Wcisel said in a prepared statement. said . “The exhibition builds on GRAM’s history of important photographic exhibitions and collection acquisitions and offers a unique perspective that will excite and challenge our audiences to see and think about the world differently.”
The photographs highlighted in the exhibition document life during everyday life, but also during the Great Depression, the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement.
Along with the collection of nearly 150 photographs, the GRAM highlights Michigan photographers. The Michigan artists’ work is on display concurrently with Glickman Lauder’s collection, in an exhibit called “Make a Picture: A Selection of Michigan Photographers from GRAM’s Collection.”
The Michigan artists’ photographs feature portraits, landscapes and documentary photography, including capturing wartime images. New additions to the GRAM’s Michigan photography collection include works by Grand Rapids photographers Hwa-Jeen Na and Claudia Liberatore.
“From iconic portraits to historical events, vibrant cityscapes to contemplative landscapes, the subjects and artists in “Presence” tell an honest and compassionate story of humanity,” said Dana Friis-Hansen, guest curator of the exhibition. “The exhibition covers a wide area of photography that expands our expectations of the medium. While many of these artists and subjects have been shown at GRAM, many of them will be fresh and inspiring.”
To kick off the exhibition at GRAM, Glickman Lauder will be at GRAM’s auditorium on Thursday, February 9 at 6:30 pm to discuss her collection. The free event will explore Glickman Lauder’s photography experience and her role as an art collector.
The following day, GRAM visitors can join Glickman Lauder for a luncheon to discuss the presence of women in photography. The lunch is $25 and includes a box lunch from Nonna’s Pantry. Wcisel will moderate the panel discussion.
Glickman Lauder’s own photographic works have been displayed in the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the United States Holocaust Museum.
For a complete calendar of exhibition-related programming and events, visit artmuseumgr.org/events.
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