ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.- “I’d rather take a photograph than be one,” Lee Miller famously declared.

Although her first work was as a model, Miller (1907-1977) – the trusted confidante of many influential artists and an eyewitness to some of the most extraordinary moments of the 20th century – made lasting contributions as a photographer. Sweeping in scope and intimate in focus, The Woman Who Broke Boundaries: Photographer Lee Millersurveys her fascinating personal life and remarkably incisive portraiture and photojournalism. The exhibition is organized by The Dalí Museum features more than 130 images from Miller’s prolific body of work. The exhibition is on view exclusively at The Dalí Museum July 3, 2021, through Jan. 2, 2022.

The exhibition concentrates on Miller’s portraits of important writers and artists, the majority associated with the Surrealist movement in Paris, and with whom she had sustained personal relationships. Also featured is a small selection of striking self-portraits, images captured during the liberation of Paris and Germany at the end of the Second World War, and photos representative of technical advancements in the medium she chose to express herself and capture the times.

The Woman Who Broke Boundaries: Photographer Lee Milleris curated by Dr. William Jeffett, chief curator of exhibitions at The Dalí Museum. The photographs are on loan from the Lee Miller Archives in Sussex, England.

“Equally unconventional and ambitious, Lee Miller continually reinvented herself, much like the artists she lived among and photographed,” said Dr. Hank Hine, executive director of The Dalí. “With a wry Surrealist quality, her work intimately captured a range of people and historical moments; however, the passion, intensity and restlessness of the woman behind the camera tells the most extraordinary stories. We hope visitors embrace her trailblazing creativity and are inspired to examine their own boundaries.”

“The breadth of photographs featured is an expression of Miller’s desire to open avenues of professional engagement and personal choice that were closed to women in her time,” added Jeffett. “She is truly one of the most fascinating figures of the 20th century.”