Roman Vishniac Rediscovered

Roman Vishniac Rediscovered brings together four decades of work by the extraordinarily versatile and innovative Russian-born, Jewish photographer Roman Vishniac (1897–1990) for the first time. Drawn from the vast Roman Vishniac archive at the International Center of Photography, New York, the exhibition is a comprehensive reappraisal of Vishniac’s total photographic output, from his early years in Europe through the postwar period in America.

Vishniac is best known for creating the most widely recognized and reproduced photographic record of Jewish life in Eastern Europe between the two World Wars. These celebrated and influential photographs were taken on behalf of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the world’s largest Jewish relief organization, from 1935–38. Yet, Roman Vishniac Rediscovered follows the full extent of the photographer’s long and accomplished career from his early engagements with European modernism in the 1920s, to his portrait photographs in New York City from the 1940s, and his highly inventive color photomicroscopy in the 1950s (an accomplished biologist as well, one of Vishniac’s most famous endeavors in the field of photomicroscopy was his revolutionary photographs from the inside of a firefly’s eye).

The exhibition of nearly 400 works includes recently discovered vintage prints, rare moving film footage, contact sheets, personal correspondence, and exhibition prints made from his recently digitized negatives.

Roman Vishniac Rediscovered is organized by the International Center of Photography, New York and was curated by Maya Benton.

Interests: Arts & Culture
Date: 
February 11, 2016 to May 29, 2016
TIME: 
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Location: 
The Contemporary Jewish Museum
736 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
City: 
San Francisco
Cost: 
$12 adults, $10 students and senior citizens with a valid ID, and $5 on Thursdays after 5pm. Youth 18 and under free.

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Organized By: 
The Contemporary Jewish Museum
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