Dorothea Lange: Tales of Life and Work
The exhibition “Dorothea Lange: Tales of Life and Work,” curated by CAMERA’s artistic director Walter Guadagnini and curator Monica Poggi, showcases over 200 images that trace the remarkable career of Dorothea Lange.
As John Szarkowski aptly described her, Lange was “a social observer by choice and an artist by instinct.”
From July 19 to October 8, the exhibition takes place at CAMERA in Turin, with a particular focus on Lange’s work during the 1930s and 1940s, which marked the pinnacle of her artistic activity. It was during this period that she documented significant historical events that reshaped the economic and social landscape of the United States. Between 1931 and 1939, the southern United States experienced severe droughts and relentless sandstorms that devastated agriculture and forced thousands of people to migrate. Dorothea Lange was among the group of photographers commissioned by the Farm Security Administration, a government agency responsible for promoting New Deal policies, to capture the exodus of farm workers in search of employment on the vast plantations of the Central Valley.
Climate crisis, migrations, and discrimination—these are the enduring themes explored by Dorothea Lange. Despite the passage of many decades, her work remains remarkably relevant, provoking contemplation and providing an opportunity for dialogue about the present. Moreover, Lange’s photographs shed light on a crucial milestone in the history of 20th-century photography.
Through this exhibition, both the citizens of Turin and visiting tourists have an invaluable chance to engage with the pressing questions of our time and gain deeper insight into the life and work of one of the most influential figures in 20th-century photography. Among Lange’s iconic images is a poignant portrayal of motherhood and human dignity.
Complementing the exhibition, a catalog published by Dario Cimorelli editore will be available. Following its display at CAMERA, the photographs will be exhibited at the Museo Civico in Bassano del Grappa from October 21.
About the Author
Dorothea Lange (Hoboken, New Jersey, 1895 – San Francisco, 1965) began her journey in photography in 1915 when she studied the craft under Clarence H. White at Columbia University. In 1919, she established her own portrait studio in San Francisco but later abandoned commercial work in the 1930s to pursue socially oriented research and document the effects of the Great Depression. She embarked on several trips to Utah, Nevada, and Arizona between 1931 and 1933. In 1936, Lange joined the Farm Security Administration (FSA), where she produced some of her most renowned photojournalism, despite occasional disagreements with Roy Stryker, the head of FSA’s information division, regarding her stylistic choices. In 1940, she received the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, awarded annually by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to individuals who demonstrate outstanding ability in cultural or artistic production. In the early 1950s, Lange joined the editorial team at Life magazine and dedicated herself to teaching at the San Francisco Art Institute. She passed away in 1965, just months before a major exhibition she was preparing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Recent exhibitions of her work include “Politics of Seeing” at the Jeu de Paume in Paris in 2018 and “Words & Pictures” at MoMA in 2020.
Dorothea Lange: Tales of Life and Work
from July 19 to October 8
CAMERA – Turin – Italy
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