Three new photography exhibits at the Jewish Museum explore the stories behind the images, how they were created and how they influence our understanding of immigration, communism and celebrity.
"We tend to think of photography as truth laid bare," said Deborah Solomon, WNYC’s art critic reflecting on Alfred Stieglitz's famous work of art, The Steerage. "I think this is an incredible tale about the unreliability of photography as a witness to history and the truth."
To listen to Solomon's review of the shows, click on the audio above.
Masterpieces and Curiosities: Alfred Stieglitz’s The Steerage (September 25, 2015 through February 14, 2016).
The image has come to represent immigrants coming to America at the turn of the century. In reality, Stieglitz took the photo while traveling aboard the Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1907 on his way to Europe. The third-class passengers in his photo were returning to Europe, perhaps because they had been rejected by immigration officials, perhaps to visit family in Europe. And while contemporary viewers may object to the conditions of the people in the photograph, for Stieglitz, he was interested in composition and furthering photography as a fine art. “If all my photographs were lost, and I’d be represented by just one, The Steerage, I’d be satisfied,” said Stieglitz in a quote the exhibition highlights.
The Power of Pictures: Early Soviet Photography, Early Soviet Film (September 25, 2015 through February 7, 2016)
With 181 works including photographs, film posters, and vintage publications, this exhibit documents how photographers and filmmakers promoted the values and ideology of the newly created Soviet Union. More than two-thirds of the population was illiterate in the 1920s and images, more than words, were considered effective propaganda tools. Many artists, a large number of them Jewish, embraced what they saw as the government’s emphasis on building an egalitarian world. Their works pushed photography in new directions, further confirming it as its own art form. But later, by 1932 under the rule of Joseph Stalin, the artists who created modern and avant-garde works fell out of favor, as authorities felt art must reflect a realist, pro-Soviet style.
Becoming Jewish: Warhol's Liz and Marilyn (September 25, 2015 through February 7, 2016)
Both Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor converted to Judaism. Both were Hollywood celebrities. And both were idolized by Andy Warhol. Warhol took their publicity stills and turned them into works of art that comment on, as well celebrate, their celebrity status. The exhibit explores their conversion and Warhol’s works.
