The Cleveland Museum of Art presents 50 photographs from Bruce Davidson's 'Brooklyn Gang' series
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, November 24, 2024


The Cleveland Museum of Art presents 50 photographs from Bruce Davidson's 'Brooklyn Gang' series
Untitled from Brooklyn Gang, 1959. Bruce Davidson (American, b. 1933). Gelatin silver print; paper: 76.2 x 101.6 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of an anonymous donor, 2018.683. © Bruce Davidson / Magnum Photos.



CLEVELAND, OH.- One of the most highly respected and influential American documentary photographers of the past half century, Bruce Davidson spent several months photographing the daily lives of a teenage street gang for his 1959 series Brooklyn Gang. A new exhibition in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Mark Schwartz and Bettina Katz Photography Gallery, Bruce Davidson: Brooklyn Gang features 50 black-and-white photographs from that series, which are part of a recent anonymous gift to the museum of extensive selections from the artist’s archives. The exhibition is on view now through February 28, 2021.

Brooklyn Gang was Davidson’s first major project after joining the distinguished photo agency Magnum and was the fruit of several months spent immersing himself in the daily lives of the Jokers, one of the many teenage street gangs worrying New York City officials at the time. He recorded the teenagers’ pleasures and frustrations as they attempted to define masculinity and mimic adult behavior. The photographs reflect the group’s camaraderie but also their alienation from societal norms. While many officials and commentators at the time saw the gangs as evidence of social deterioration resulting from poverty, others regarded them as the most visible manifestations of a socially disengaged generation of males—rebels without a cause.




“Bruce Davidson: Brooklyn Gang presents an intimate portrayal of the teens’ lives,” said William Griswold, director of the Cleveland Museum of Art. “Davidson was an outsider, but one who spent so much time with the gang that he became, as he liked to say, ‘an outsider on the inside.’ Davidson offered an independent look at the lives of these disadvantaged youths; this view of society was quite different from the age of visual and social homogenization of the 1950s presented in mainstream magazines such as Life and Look and predicts the social turmoil of the 1960s.”

The images reflect the time Davidson spent with the teens hanging out on street corners and in the local candy store and accompanying them to the beach at Coney Island with their girlfriends. Included are several sets of variant images, affording a rare glimpse into Davidson’s working process.

“Despite a more than ten-year age difference, Davidson describes recognizing his own repression in his subjects and feeling a connection to their desperation,” said Barbara Tannenbaum, the CMA’s chair of prints, drawings, and photographs and curator of photography.










Today's News

November 13, 2020

Hands at the Loom, the Complex Art of Producing an Artistic Oriental Rug (Part II)

Marian Goodman Gallery presents a solo exhibition of new work by Julie Mehretu

Christie's to offer a private collection of important baseball memorabilia

Newly discovered primate in Myanmar 'already facing extinction'

The Cleveland Museum of Art presents 50 photographs from Bruce Davidson's 'Brooklyn Gang' series

Almine Rech presents never-before-seen works by Vivian Springford

Exhibition pairs the work of two African photographers

Important Thai Orders, medals and decorations to be sold at auction

Sindika Dokolo, crusader for return of African art, dies at 48

Eli Klein Gallery opens a group exhibition of 8 Chinese contemporary artists residing in New York

Shannon's fall online fine art auction includes 242 lots of paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures

Christie's to offer an important collection of Tiffany Studio and remarkable jewels

65 year old Jaguar emerges from Arizona and roars into UK classic car scene

Aileen Passloff, dancer, choreographer and teacher, dies at 89

Museum launches new CAMHLAB initiative to support artists in production of new work

The original art for Topps' legendary 1966 Monster Stickers resurfaces at Heritage Auctions

Parrasch Heijnen opens exhibition comprising eleven works by Marcia Hafif

Great War Memorial Plaque that rewrites Black history in World War One sold for £10,540

Israel Horovitz, playwright tarnished by abuse allegations, dies at 81

Natan Zach, blunt and cherished Israeli poet, dies at 89

Strangers on a phone, theatrically speaking

Premier Western artists headline first American Art Auction at new Heritage headquarters

Prescription Opioids: 4 Extremely Addictive Prescription Opioids

Skin Care: Four Essential Nutrients for Healthy Skin

Credit Score

Do's and Don'ts While Writing Resumes And Profiles

Online Poker Websites- How To Select The Right Table To Play Poker Games!!

Top 5 Tips And Tricks To Be A Pro IDN Poker Player!

The artist at home: How artists have used their newfound time at home to create art

Things That Differentiate The 2 Modes Of Observing Movies

5 Of The World's Top Casinos with Incredible Art Collection

Best health tips for getting your first tattoo




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful