February 8 - March 30, 2024; Artist reception Thur, Feb 8th, 6-8pm
When Judy Dater was invited to photograph the Black philosopher and activist Angela Davis, she set up her large-format camera and waited. Davis was supposed to speak at a Loyola Marymount University event, but her plane was delayed. With minutes to spare before her lecture was to start, Davis arrived and graciously took a seat in front of Dater. The time required to expose a large format negative meant that Dater could take only a couple of pictures, far fewer than she would typically make to achieve the psychologically acute and aesthetically sophisticated portraits for which she is famous. "I decided to take a chance," she recalls. "For my last shot I told her I was going to close my eyes and she could give me whatever expression she wanted. She smiled, completely relaxed. For me it turned out to be her best pose and photograph."
The trust and rapport that Dater establishes between her and her subjects are essential to Dater's oeuvre. Since the 1960s, Dater has taken some of the most sensitive formal portraits of her age, focusing her lens on subjects both famous and anonymous with an equal degree of empathetic respect. Her unique combination of technical expertise, empathy, and insight underlies her artistic vision.
In celebration of Black History Month, Modernism is pleased to present a preview of Dater's most recent and ongoing portrait series, in which she depicts Black intellectuals ranging from the eminent Angela Davis and Wole Soyinka to San Francisco's 44-year-old poet laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin.
"I have always chosen subjects who I find visually compelling," she says. "My latest portraits are specifically of Black people who matter because they have made a difference to our society and culture. It is a privilege to welcome people of such achievement and humanity to my studio. It is without a doubt one of the most meaningful experiences of my more than fifty years as a portrait photographer."
Free
Presented by MODERNISM INC..
show less
When Judy Dater was invited to photograph the Black philosopher and activist Angela Davis, she set up her large-format camera and waited. Davis was supposed to speak at a Loyola Marymount University event, but her plane was delayed. With minutes to spare before her lecture was to start, Davis arrived and graciously took a seat in front of Dater. The time required to expose a large format negative meant that Dater could take only a couple of pictures, far fewer than she would typically make to achieve the psychologically acute and aesthetically sophisticated portraits for which she is famous. "I decided to take a chance," she recalls. "For my last shot I told her I was going to close my eyes and she could give me whatever expression she wanted. She smiled, completely relaxed. For me it turned out to be her best pose and photograph."
The trust and rapport that Dater establishes between her and her subjects are essential to Dater's oeuvre. Since the 1960s, Dater has taken some of the most sensitive formal portraits of her age, focusing her lens on subjects both famous and anonymous with an equal degree of empathetic respect. Her unique combination of technical expertise, empathy, and insight underlies her artistic vision.
In celebration of Black History Month, Modernism is pleased to present a preview of Dater's most recent and ongoing portrait series, in which she depicts Black intellectuals ranging from the eminent Angela Davis and Wole Soyinka to San Francisco's 44-year-old poet laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin.
"I have always chosen subjects who I find visually compelling," she says. "My latest portraits are specifically of Black people who matter because they have made a difference to our society and culture. It is a privilege to welcome people of such achievement and humanity to my studio. It is without a doubt one of the most meaningful experiences of my more than fifty years as a portrait photographer."
Free
Presented by MODERNISM INC..
February 8 - March 30, 2024; Artist reception Thur, Feb 8th, 6-8pm
When Judy Dater was invited to photograph the Black philosopher and activist Angela Davis, she set up her large-format camera and waited. Davis was supposed to speak at a Loyola Marymount University event, but her plane was delayed. With minutes to spare before her lecture was to start, Davis arrived and graciously took a seat in front of Dater. The time required to expose a large format negative meant that Dater could take only a couple of pictures, far fewer than she would typically make to achieve the psychologically acute and aesthetically sophisticated portraits for which she is famous. "I decided to take a chance," she recalls. "For my last shot I told her I was going to close my eyes and she could give me whatever expression she wanted. She smiled, completely relaxed. For me it turned out to be her best pose and photograph."
The trust and rapport that Dater establishes between her and her subjects are essential to Dater's oeuvre. Since the 1960s, Dater has taken some of the most sensitive formal portraits of her age, focusing her lens on subjects both famous and anonymous with an equal degree of empathetic respect. Her unique combination of technical expertise, empathy, and insight underlies her artistic vision.
In celebration of Black History Month, Modernism is pleased to present a preview of Dater's most recent and ongoing portrait series, in which she depicts Black intellectuals ranging from the eminent Angela Davis and Wole Soyinka to San Francisco's 44-year-old poet laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin.
"I have always chosen subjects who I find visually compelling," she says. "My latest portraits are specifically of Black people who matter because they have made a difference to our society and culture. It is a privilege to welcome people of such achievement and humanity to my studio. It is without a doubt one of the most meaningful experiences of my more than fifty years as a portrait photographer."
Free
Presented by MODERNISM INC..
read more
When Judy Dater was invited to photograph the Black philosopher and activist Angela Davis, she set up her large-format camera and waited. Davis was supposed to speak at a Loyola Marymount University event, but her plane was delayed. With minutes to spare before her lecture was to start, Davis arrived and graciously took a seat in front of Dater. The time required to expose a large format negative meant that Dater could take only a couple of pictures, far fewer than she would typically make to achieve the psychologically acute and aesthetically sophisticated portraits for which she is famous. "I decided to take a chance," she recalls. "For my last shot I told her I was going to close my eyes and she could give me whatever expression she wanted. She smiled, completely relaxed. For me it turned out to be her best pose and photograph."
The trust and rapport that Dater establishes between her and her subjects are essential to Dater's oeuvre. Since the 1960s, Dater has taken some of the most sensitive formal portraits of her age, focusing her lens on subjects both famous and anonymous with an equal degree of empathetic respect. Her unique combination of technical expertise, empathy, and insight underlies her artistic vision.
In celebration of Black History Month, Modernism is pleased to present a preview of Dater's most recent and ongoing portrait series, in which she depicts Black intellectuals ranging from the eminent Angela Davis and Wole Soyinka to San Francisco's 44-year-old poet laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin.
"I have always chosen subjects who I find visually compelling," she says. "My latest portraits are specifically of Black people who matter because they have made a difference to our society and culture. It is a privilege to welcome people of such achievement and humanity to my studio. It is without a doubt one of the most meaningful experiences of my more than fifty years as a portrait photographer."
Free
Presented by MODERNISM INC..
show less
Date/Times:
724 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94121
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