exhibition image

Ilse Bing, La Main de Szymon Goldberg, 1949, Gelatin silver print, 13 1/4 in. x 9 1/2 in., Gift of Suzanne Ciani (Class of 1968) 2018.266. © Estate of Ilse Bing.

Featuring a recent gift of vintage photographs by the groundbreaking photographer Ilse Bing (1899-1998), this exhibition explores the development of the photographic medium in the mid-twentieth century. The era in which Bing came to prominence saw the birth of the journalistic photo-essay, the launch of the 35-mm Leica camera, and experiments with abstract photograms and solarization. Artists led critical debates over how photography should remain true to itself as a medium of and for the modern world. From Frankfurt to Paris to New York City, Bing was at the center of it all, carving out a place for herself as “Queen of the Leica” in a male-dominated world of image making. The Worlds of Ilse Bing is organized geographically according to the three cities where Bing lived, placing her work in conversation with the artists who made up her creative worlds and providing insight into her influences, process, and undeniable impact on others as they pushed the boundaries of modern art.

Curated by Dr. Carrie Cushman, Director of the Bates College Museum of Art and former Linda Wyatt Gruber ‘66 Curatorial Fellow in Photography at the Davis Museum, this exhibition is supported with funds given through the generosity of Linda Wyatt Gruber (Class of 1966).