Alex Webb, born in San Francisco and a Harvard University alumnus, is a street photographer whose unique vision spans four decades. Webb does not stage his photos; instead, he pursues the gaps that emerge when immigrants, transients, and children inhabit the same space. For that reason, much of Webb’s work can be linked to isolation, whether it is Webb’s isolation as an outside observer or the isolation of his subjects from their surroundings.
Early in his career, Webb focused on the Mississippi Delta, using black-and-white prints to portray a perpetually conflicted American region. Though he switched to color prints in the late 1970s, Webb’s focus has always gone deeper than the hues, vibrancy, and heat of the climates he photographs. Completing work in Florida, Cuba, Mexico and the U.S-Mexico Border, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, India, Grenada, Istanbul, and Brazil, Webb has earned a name for himself by publishing work in several international magazines, including National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine. In addition, Webb has published numerous monographs, including Under a Grudging Sun, Istanbul, Crossings, Hot Light/Half-Made Worlds, From the Sunshine State, Amazon, and most recently, Violet Isle.
Webb’s work has been exhibited at the International Center for Photography, New York; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. He is the recipient of the Leica Medal of Excellence (2000), and the Premio Internacional de Fotografia Alcobendas (2009). Webb has been a member of Magnum since 1976 and currently lives in New York City.
In addition, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will exhibit work by Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb from May 2011 through January 2012 in an exhibition entitled Violet Isle: A Photographic Portrait of Cuba by Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb, about which the Museum writes:
“Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb have created a poetic vision of Cuba, the Caribbean island that — because of the color of its soil — is occasionally known as the Violet Isle. The couple became fascinated with the place some twenty years ago, and made eleven trips to photograph there between 1993 and 2008. They worked individually — Alex capturing the people he encountered on the streets, in courtyards and cafes, and Rebecca recording the interesting animals that she came across — and pooled the results of their labors at the end of the endeavor. Combined, the photographers’ efforts form a rich visual essay, a sort of duet on the lyrical vibrancy and texture of Cuban life. The evocative visual dialogue present in this exhibition is a testament to the beauty and vulnerability of the place.”
Coinciding with the Museum of Fine Arts show, the Robert Klein Gallery will host an exhibition of work by Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb in the fall of 2011.
Violet Isle: Photographs of Cuba by Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb
Through January 16, 2012
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Gallery 169
Avenue of the Arts
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115-5523
