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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

"Close to Home: Photographers and Their Families" opens Feb. 4 at Smithsonian American Art Museum

Exhibition
“Close to Home: Photographers and Their Families”
Feb. 4 – July 24, 2011
 
Location
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Eighth and F streets N.W.
Graphic Arts galleries, second floor
 
Description
In the 1980s, Larry Sultan and Tina Barney reinvigorated portraiture by turning their lenses on their own families to document their personal histories. These images record intimate moments these artists have elected to share and offer a glimpse into the private world most choose to reserve behind closed doors. The familiarity of these photographs belies a more elaborate process behind the lens. Having a parent, spouse or sibling who is a photographer means living with the constant presence of the camera. These subjects are accustomed to an observer who is also an inseparable part of their daily lives.
 
“Close to Home” presents photographs made during the past three decades by both established and emerging artists. It features 32 color and black-and-white photographs from the museum’s permanent collection by nine contemporary photographers: Barney, Virginia Beahan, Christopher Dawson, Muriel Hasbun, Martina Lopez, Elaine O’Neil, Sultan, Margaret Strickland and Carrie Will. The exhibition includes many new acquisitions on view at the museum for the first time. Toby Jurovics, formerly the museum’s curator of photography, selected the photographs in the installation.
 
Free Public Program
A gallery talk, led by National Portrait Gallery associate curator of photographs Frank Goodyear, is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. in the exhibition galleries.
 
Credit
The Bernie Stadiem Endowment Fund provided support for the exhibition.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum, located above the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metrorail station, is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Dec. 25. Admission is free. Museum information: (202) 633-7970. Smithsonian Information: (202) 633-1000(202) 633-5285 (TTY). Website: americanart.si.edu.
 

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