A single photograph is powerful enough to change our reality. It can wake our consciousness, propel us to question our government, and help us come together to form a meaningful transformation of our laws, policies, and society. News photography, in particular, bears this responsibility, where each image hopes to break the shackles of injustice and oppression. The great United States, for instance, was not made overnight. It was built on the sacrifices of many people, especially people of color and the marginalized. And for it to reach the stage we are at currently, many empathetic and objective photojournalists took part in the shaping of the nation. Today, the Howard Greenberg Gallery has organized a spectacular photography exhibition to highlight the profound impact of news photography on our modern world.
The lead image is by George Tames, courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery. All images are used with permission.
A Glimpse Into America’s Last Century
Titled Extra! Extra!: News Photographs from 1908-1975, the photography exhibition showcases the history of the 20th century of the U.S.A. How, you may ask? By exhibiting sixty iconic pictures that were not only on the front page of the newspapers but cemented themselves as visual records of the country’s historical and cultural moments. For instance, the Howard Greenberg Gallery carefully chose photographs that present a glimpse of the arrival of the first Ford car, suffragist voting rights protests, the detonation of the atom bomb, significant baseball moments, key Civil Rights activities, Woodstock, and the Vietnam War. Each of these cornerstone events was responsible for changing the country’s trajectory for the better.
Dan Solomon, a collector, curator, publisher, artist, and philanthropist, is responsible for accumulating these images in the last two decades. And it was the pathbreaking image by Malcolm Browne titled The Burning Monk that inspired him to do so. The picture portrayed a self-immolating monk in Saigon and also went on to win the Pulitzer Prize the next year. Solomon recounts, “The print had a presence and the aura of a powerful object connected to history and the dissemination of information. I immediately asked how I could see more.”
Similarly, Howard Greenberg, the gallery owner and the man responsible for shaping the modern photography market said the prints in the exhibition are “first and second-generation ‘press’ prints.” The photographs were acquired when “certain archives were beginning to sell photos from their files.” As a result, the photographs you will see “include many rare and important prints and are distinguished from all others.”
Thus, Extra! Extra!: News Photographs from 1908-1975 are designed from the 250 prints collected by Solomon and Greenberg, including renowned photographers such as Robert Capa and W. Eugene Smith. There are also some iconic images from photojournalists who may not be well-known in the industry. The prints also feature date stamps, captions, pencil annotations, and more to highlight their authenticity.
Why You Must Not Miss This Photography Exhibition
If the details have not excited you, then let us remind you: You will see America in the making. These moments have been frozen by photographers, who many may not even know about. But we can teach the next generation about the past due to their contribution and sacrifices, where they were always at the forefront of a war or a protest. For instance, one of the images in the photography exhibition by Eddie Adams, who documented a South Vietnamese officer executing a Viet Cong prisoner, proves the hideous side of humanity during the Vietnam War. It also highlighted how innocents who were fighting for their land laid their lives for a better future.
As a result, the exhibit is not only about the significance of who we once were but also the mastery of the photojournalists who balanced art and objectivity to draw viewers in. It highlights the photographer’s presence of mind, journalistic instinct, and ability to evoke the emotions of the masses. So, the showcase Extra! Extra!: News Photographs from 1908-1975 is an exceptional way to understand the influence of visual documents. It highlights the importance of news photography in preserving a sliver of our history, more so in the AI age, where facts and fiction seem one and the same.
Extra! Extra!: News Photographs from 1908-1975 will begin on September 12 and conclude on November 16. For more information, visit Howard Greenberg Gallery’s website.