Berenice Abbott: Photographs (installation view), 2012 © Jeu de Paume, Photographies Romain Darnaud, Ryerson Image Centre
Berenice Abbott: Photographs exhibition, conference and catalogue launch
Apr. 23, 2012
In celebration of Berenice Abbott: Photographs opening May 2012 at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), the public is invited to attend the major exhibition, a special catalogue launch event, and a one-day conference. Berenice Abbott: Photographs is the first retrospective of Abbott’s work.
The exhibition is co-organized by the Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) and the Jeu de Paume in Paris, and curated by Dr. Gaelle Morel, the first curator of the Ryerson Image Centre. Presented in partnership with Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), it will be on view at the AGO from May 23 to August 19, 2012. The exhibition opening on Wednesday May 23 is free to attend after 6:00 p.m. Public remarks will be at 6:45 p.m. in the gallery space.
American photographer Berenice Abbott is best known for her documentary project Changing New York (1935-39), and for her tireless fight for the recognition of French photographer Eugene Atget. Berenice Abbott: Photographs explores the different stages of Abbott’s expansive career through more than 120 photographs alongside a series of never before exhibited personal documents including letters, book mock-ups, drawings, magazines, scrapbooks and a collection of first edition books.
Catalogue
The Jeu de Paume and the Ryerson Image Centre have produced an in-depth catalogue edited by Dr. Morel to accompany the exhibition. A catalogue launch event, Gaelle Morel In Conversation With Blake Fitzpatrick, has been co-organized by the Ryerson Image Centre and This is not a Reading Series (TINARS), and will be presented with the Stephen Bulger Gallery and the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival on Tuesday, May 22, 5-7 p.m. Professor Blake Fitzpatrick will interview Dr. Morel about the practice of curation and the art of Berenice Abbott. The event will include a book signing and opening remarks by Doina Popescu, Director of the Ryerson Image Centre. Admission is free.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Stephen Bulger Gallery
1026 Queen Street West
Admission is free.
Conference
A one-day public conference focusing on the work of Berenice Abbott will be presented by the Ryerson Image Centre and Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival on Saturday, May 26, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Ryerson University. The conference will feature keynote speaker Ron Kurtz, owner of Commerce Graphics; opening remarks by Doina Popescu, Director of the Ryerson Image Centre, and Bonnie Rubenstein, Artistic Director of Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival; and a panel discussion with Dr. Morel, Dr. Sarah Miller, Dr. Terri Weissman, and moderator Sophie Hackett, Assistant Curator of Photography at the AGO. The conference will be free to attend and open to the public.
Berenice Abbott: Photographs is made possible through support from the Terra Foundation for American Art. The presentation in Toronto is supported by Ryerson University and the Ontario Arts Council.
Saturday, May 26, 2012 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Ryerson University, Rogers Communications Centre
80 Gould Street, Eaton Theatre, RCC-204 (Second Floor)
Admission is free.
Exhibition
Berenice Abbott: Photographs
May 23 - Aug 19, 2012
Art Gallery of Ontario
317 Dundas Street West
Regular AGO admission fees apply.
Exhibition opens Wednesday, May 23, 2012 with FREE admission 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.