BRUCE DAVIDSON
EXHIBITION
AT THE HELLENIC-AMERICAN UNION
The Hellenic-American Union concludes its festive cultural program for the 50th anniversary of its foundation with a major photographic exhibition by the leading American photographer Bruce Davidson..
The exhibition presents approximately 80 photographs by Bruce Davidson from three of his photographic series, specifically from Brooklyn Gang, Subway, and Central Park.
The exhibition has been curated by Plato Rivellis and Elisavet Plessa.
Bruce Davidson was born in 1933. He is one of the most significant American photographers and one of the oldest members of the renowned Magnum photography agency.
Since the early 1950s, Davidson has been photographing subjects of his own choosing, working on each with significant dedication and devotion. His subjects invariably focus on the human element, but never limit themselves to an emotional humanitarian approach. The photographic result clearly shows the relationship that the photographer develops with the people he photographs, thereby proving that he becomes part of the subject and not just a clinical observer.
The curators, in agreement with the photographer, chose three themes for this exhibition at the Hellenic-American Union, specifically Brooklyn Gang, which dates from the late 1950s and early 1960s, Subway, from the mid-1980s, and Central Park, from the mid-1990s. Coincidentally, all three themes are related to New York, where the photographer resides. The first theme refers to the life of a "gang", which today would be more accurately described as a group of young kids from a poor neighborhood in Brooklyn. The second theme concerns life in the underground railroad, or the New York Subway, and the third is a tour of New York's central public park, Central Park.
The selection of these specific themes from Bruce Davidson's body of work was not random. These three themes best emphasize two of Bruce Davidson’s most important and characteristic qualities: continuity and change. Although these themes span more than three decades, the viewer recognizes their common content, the love for humanity, the photographic curiosity, the respect towards the subjects, but also notes the bold changes in their approach, particularly in the technical means and form. Interestingly, the work on the subway was done in color in an original and exquisite manner, something that did not prevent the photographer from returning to black and white ten years later, thus proving that both types can and should coexist and alternate.
The exhibition was made possible with the kind permission of Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York.
Opening: Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 20:30
Hellenic-American Union Gallery (Massalias 22, Kolonaki)
Duration of the exhibition: November 8 – December 15, 2007
Operating hours: Monday – Friday 12:00 – 21:00, Saturday 10:30 – 14:30, Sunday closed
In conjunction with the above photographic exhibition Bruce Davidson will give a lecture - seminar open to the public.
Friday, November 9, 2007, at 19:30
Theater of the Hellenic-American Union
(The lecture will be held in English.)
Opening
