"Harry Callahan: Photographs 1981-1996"
1999-08-14 until 1999-11-06
High Museum
Atlanta, GA, USA United States of America

Harry Callahan (1912-1999), a former Atlanta resident, has long been recognized as one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. This exhibition showcases works from the past 15 years, many of which have never been shown to the public. The show features Callahan's late color works and demonstrates a mature vision based on a lifelong commitment to photography and experimentation.

Callahan established his reputation in black and white photography, but in the mid-1970s he turned to color almost exclusively. These late color photographs address earlier themes like the city, the beach and the land, but always with a fresh vision and keen sense of discovery. The exhibition also includes his only recent black and white work-two series of close-ups devoted to grasses in northern Georgia and to the trees in Ansley Park.

The majority of the works in the show were made in the South, especially Atlanta, where he moved in 1983. Habitual walks from midtown to downtown Atlanta inspired the Peachtree Series, which is both a celebration of design and a record of the changing face of the city. Tom Southall, the High's curator of photography, noted that the last of Callahan's works have an almost effortless subtlety and control that comes from a lifetime of experience, and have a special interest to us because so many of them were devoted to exploring our city.

Harry Callahan died in Atlanta March 15, 1999.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Georgia

Other Important Exhibitions in Atlanta