CHICAGO, IL.- In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, MCA Trustee and Collection Committee member Jack Guthman and his wife Sandra have donated a significant gift of 50 photographs by contemporary women photographers to the MCA Collection. Sharing the MCA's commitment to actively collect the work of female artists, a selection from this landmark donation is presented in the exhibition Woman with a Camera, on view through January 14, 2018. Woman with a Camera looks at the ways women across different generations and backgrounds collectively address facets of identity, politics, and history through their images, demonstrating the remarkable breadth of the Guthman collection.

Celebrating the Guthmans' largest-ever gift, the exhibition Woman with a Camera presents a selection of 18 works from their collection, featuring work by established masters Marina Abramovic, Sophie Calle, Catherine Opie, Laurie Simmons, and Carrie Mae Weems, as well as emerging artists Anne Collier, Xaviera Simmons, and Mickalene Thomas. Together, the women use photography to explore central themes in contemporary photography: rendering the human figure, capturing public and private spaces, and commenting on our media-saturated culture. Other works from the gift will be incorporated into MCA exhibitions throughout the year.

MCA Chief Curator Michael Darling says, "Jack and Sandy are the ideal patrons, making gifts that strengthen the direction the museum is already heading, while providing a bold example for how to positively impact an institution." Complementing the MCA's strong holdings in photography, the Guthman gift features over 30 women artists of varying ages, nationalities, and artistic practices, including international names Bani Abidi (Pakistan), Marie Bovo (Spain), Candice Breitz (South Africa), Moyra Davey (Canada), Siobhan Hapaska (Ireland), Camille Henrot (France), Candida Höfer (Germany), and Sam Taylor-Wood (UK).

This unprecedented donation of 50 works for the museum's 50th anniversary reflects the longstanding support the museum has received from the Guthmans. From their first gift to the MCA in honor of its 10th anniversary, the Guthmans have donated major gifts of art by such important figures as Dawoud Bey, Gene Davis, Jin Soo Kim, Sol Lewitt, Glenn Ligon, and Tony Tasset. A MCA Trustee since 1989, Jack Guthman serves on the museum's Collection, Executive, Board Governance, and Nominating committees, and supports the museum in all facets of its mission. Sandra Guthman has also been a major donor to MCA youth and education programming.