American Modern

An Exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago

A special exhibition that explores the evolution of documentary images through the work of three of the foremost photographers of the 20th century will be on view at the Art Institute of Chicago from February 5 through May 15, 2011. American Modern: Abbott, Evans, Bourke-White presents more than 140 iconic images by Berenice Abbott (1898-1991), Walker Evans (1903-1975), and Margaret Bourke-White (1906-1971)–all taken between the years of 1929, when the stock market crashed, and 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed. This exhibition not only shows, for the first time, the photographs of Abbott, Evans, and Bourke-White in relation to one another, but it also chronicles how documentary photography had a hand in transforming modern art in America.

A scholarly catalogue, published by the University of California Press, accompanies the exhibition. The 213-page American Modern includes spectacular images by Berenice Abbott, Walker Evans, and Margaret Bourke-White, and features essays by co-curators Jessica May, Sharon Corwin, and Terri Weissman. It can be purchased in hardcover in the Museum Shop or online.

Additional information is here.

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