Some of the most enduring and powerful photographs of the 20th century, from Edward Steichen’s Gloria Swanson (1924) and André Kertész’s Chez Mondrian, Paris (1926) to Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother (1936) will be on view together for the first time in the United States at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), in Viewpoints: Photographs from the Howard Greenberg Collection. Featuring 150 prints from the Howard Greenberg Collection of Photographs—446 works recently acquired by the MFA—this exhibition showcases the breadth of the collection. Included are defining images from the 20th century made by many of the era’s most notable photographers, such as Dorothea Lange, Henri-Cartier Bresson, Gordon Parks and Robert Frank. The selection of highlights chosen for the exhibition reveals photography’s transformative power and examines its role in contributing to collective memories, celebrating the medium as an art form as well as a cultural, political and social force. In addition to exploring the historical importance of the photographs on view, Viewpoints highlights the material properties of these exceptional prints—many the first print of the image, the only print, or the best existing example. On view from August 10 through December 15, 2019 in the Lois B. and Michael K. Torf Gallery, the exhibition features a video interview with Greenberg and is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue produced by MFA Publications. The acquisition and exhibition of the Howard Greenberg Collection of Photographs were made possible by the Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Charitable Trust. Additional support for the exhibition from the Patricia B. Jacoby Exhibition Fund and The Bruce and Laura Monrad Fund for Exhibitions. Media Sponsor is Boston magazine.
“I am truly thrilled and delighted to have the MFA as the recipient of my personal collection of photographs,” said Greenberg. “Assembled over 35 years and reflecting the unique access I’ve had to so many treasures of 20th-century photography, the collection will be in a perfect resting place at the MFA. The Museum’s enthusiasm for the results of my efforts has been unrelenting. The collection will be married to what is already a world-class museum collection, formed expertly and intently over a long period of time.”
Viewpoints: Photographs from the Howard Greenberg Collection.
Until December 15, 2019
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Avenue of the Arts
465 Huntington Avenue,
Boston Massachusetts 02115
