INDIANAPOLIS, IN.- The Indiana State Museum hosts Art Meets News: The Work of Photojournalist Bill Foley, which explores the work of this Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist. The exhibition highlights a moving body of work including more than 100 vintage photographs, 3-dimensional artifacts and personal accounts from Foleys nearly 40-year career, including his time with The Associated Press (1978-1984) and Time magazine (1984-1990).
Present at the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, Foleys iconic Smiling Sadat appeared on the cover of Time magazine in October 1981. For his subsequent coverage of the Sabra and Shatilla Massacre in Beirut in 1982, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for spot news photography. Foleys assignments took him to more than 47 countries capturing the reality of life in the Middle East amid the conflicts of the 1970s and 80s. He would go on to work through Europe, Africa and across the U.S.
Foleys iconic Marine photograph taken after the bombing of the U.S.M.C barracks in Beirut in 1983 was chosen by LIFE magazine as one of the worlds best photographs. He has also photographed productions of more than 27 feature films and television shows.
More than a year ago, when I began reviewing thousands of images from Bills career, I knew this would become one of the most emotional, compelling exhibitions I have worked on in my career, said Katherine Gould, associate curator of cultural history. Many of these breathtaking images have appeared in major newspapers and magazines around the world and bear witness to the devastating effect of armed conflict and the resiliency of humanity amid its aftermath.
Art Meets News has three main theme areas that explore Foleys Indiana roots, his nearly decade-long odyssey throughout the Middle East and his subsequent work for news and charity organizations across the globe and for Hollywood. The final area retraces Foleys process of creating photographs step-by-step. The exhibit showcases the now-forgotten tools and equipment needed to shoot, process and transmit images across the globe in the days of analog.
Indianapolis-born photojournalist Bill Foley has more than 34 years experience in news, creative editorial and corporate photography. Throughout the course of his career, he has worked on assignment in 47 countries and 100-plus cities. Foleys work has been published in all major newspapers and magazines around the world as well as books on the subject of photojournalism.
In addition, Foleys work has been shown in major museums and galleries in New York, Cairo, Beirut and numerous cities in Europe. His works are also held in numerous private collections. Foley is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. He is currently Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at Marian University in Indianapolis.