Newcomb Art Museum - Beverly Hills, California

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Beverly Hills, California
Photograph

1979
16 x 20 in. (40.64 x 50.8 cm)

Garry Winogrand (New York, NY, 1928 - 1984, Tijuana, Mexico) Artist

Object Type: Photography

Medium and Support: Gelatin silver print on paper

Credit Line: Gift of Marilyn and Leon Sokol

Accession Number: 2009.28.6

Web Notes

Called the “central photographer of his generation”, Garry Winogrand rose to become one of the United States’ pre-eminent 20th century photographers in unexpected places. While his subjects varied, they always shared an admiration for the cacophony of crowded places: among his favorite settings were crowded streets, airports, and even animal enclosures. His street photography strikes a careful balance between capturing such frenzied energy with light and structure to imbibe his works with movement, enthusiasm, and childlike love for the world.
Winogrand is notable for his pieces capturing the U.S. during the mid-20th century, echoing the changing society of the 70’s and 80’s depicting candid everyday moments.

Beverly Hills, California is a photograph depicting an upper-class group crossing the street. The women are dressed in luxurious garments with large leather purses. Contrasting geometric patterns fill the photograph, with the horizontal hats to the vertical pole. The purses remnant with the backgrounds store fronts. Following these ladies is a man, seemingly dumbfounded by their decadence; potentially one with them, reacting to their conversation.

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