A Tale of Two Cities:
Eugene Atget's Paris & Berenice Abbott's New York
September 6 - October 23, 2005
Emily Lowe Gallery, Lowe Hall
More than an exhibition of architectural photography, this show examines the work of two artists who were inextricably linked to each other and to the development of modern photography. Eugene Atget turned to photography later in his life after previous careers. He was dismayed by the the amount of architectural history being destroyed during the modernization of Paris and began photographing the city's shop fronts, streets and neighborhoods. Berenice Abbott met Atget in 1925 when she was working as a darkroom assistant to Man Ray. Abbott was permanently affected by Atget's images. Upon returning to New York City after an eight year absence, Abbott realized that the city had changed tremendously. She embarked on a project to document the ever-changing cityscape. Her efforts produced a catalog of images that, like Atget's earlier photographs of Paris, record the essential character of the city.
This exhibition is on loan from the Syracuse University Art Collection, Traveling Exhibition Program.
Eugene Atget - Avenue des Gobelins, 1921-26
Eugene Atget - Street Vendor, c. 1915
Berenice Abbott - Sumner Healy Antique Shop, 1936
Berenice Abbott - St. Mark's with Skywriting, 1937