Bruce Davidson: Face to Face

Bruce Davidson: Face to Face is a survey of the expansive career of American photographer Bruce Davidson (b. 1933). The nearly 60 photographs on view are drawn from Telfair Museums’ collection of over 300 images that cover 50 years, from landmark series to lesser-known projects. Spanning the fields of street photography, documentary photography, and photojournalism, Davidson’s work is distinguished by his empathetic approach and sustained interaction with his subjects, which have made him a key figure in the history of American photography. This retrospective bears witness to his conviction that artists should “pay their dues” with time and commitment when granted entry to photograph someone’s life. Compelled to share the stories and ethos of the socially marginalized through his photographs, Davidson reflects on these dynamics that have become intrinsic to his art: “I start off as an outsider, usually photographing other outsiders, then, at some point I step over a line and become an insider.”

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, Davidson attended the Rochester Institute of

Technology and the Yale University School of Design, then worked for the

pioneering photojournalist magazine LIFE before joining Magnum, a photo agency founded by photography luminaries Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, George Rodger, and Chim (David Seymour). At 24, Davidson was the youngest member of the renowned cooperative. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship to photograph the civil rights movement in the 1960s and was awarded the first photography grant by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1967. His work has been published in The New York Times, TIME, LIFE, Vogue, and Esquire, and he has exhibited his work nationally and internationally. Davidson was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the

International Center of Photography in 2018. He currently lives and works in New York City.

This exhibition is organized by Telfair Museums and curated by Erin Dunn, curator of modern and contemporary art.