American Dreams: 20th-Century Photography from George Eastman House

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film is the world's oldest photography museum and one of the world’s oldest film archives, first opening its doors to the public in Rochester, New York, in 1949. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and photograph conservation, also educating archivists and conservators from around the world. The collection includes more than 400 000 photographs and objects.

This exhibition will focus on the museum’s extensive holdings of 20th-century American photography. Since the early days of photography American photographers have been at the forefront of the development of the medium, pushing its boundaries to promote and affirm its role as an artform in its own right, while developing new ways of seeing and representing. 

The works in the exhibition encompass the diverse subject matter chosen by each of these artists, but with a specific focus on the notion of ‘documentary’ photography. From the early twentieth century through to the present day many of these photographers have been dedicated to recording the everyday life of America and everyday Americans. 

The exhibition includes the work of 35 of America’s most celebrated photographers: Berenice Abbott, Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Margaret Bourke-White, Harry Callahan, Robert Capa, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Imogen Cunningham, Edward S Curtin, William Eggleston, Walker Evans, Lee Friedlander, Nan Goldin, Lewis Hine, Gertrude Kasebier, Dorothea Lange, Robert Mapplethrope, Mary Mark, Tina Modotti, Laslo Moholy-Nagy, Joan Myers, Barbara Norfleet, John Pfahl, Man Ray, Cindy Sherman, Stephen Shore, Aaron Siskind, W Eugene Smith, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Weegee, Edward Weston and Gary Winogrand.

Exclusive to Bendigo Art Gallery, this is the first exhibition to be presented in Australia entirely drawn from the collection of George Eastman House.

Photo: Lewis Wicks Hine Powerhouse mechanic 1920
gelatin silver print. Collection of George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film.