The Bunnen Collection at the High Museum of Art

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta is currently featuring 120 photographs from the Bunnen Collection of Photography, up now through February 2nd, 2014.  

This exhibition celebrates the contributions of Atlanta photographer and arts advocate Lucinda W. Bunnen, who has been involved in the addition of more than 650 prints to the High Museum of Art’s photography collection.

Curated by High Museum of Art Curator of Photography Brett Abbott, this exhibition, in the words of the High, highlights "the aesthetic relationship between Bunnen’s work and the photographs she collected" and showcases work by local, regional, national, and internationally renowned photographers.

Bunnen has been collecting photographs since the 1970's, with the "intention of donating the works to the High, helping establish the Museum as one of the nation’s premiere collecting institutions for contemporary photography."

Bunnen began her collection with a purchase of 26 photographs by renowned Southern photographer Clarence John Laughlin.

Abbot says, “Today, the High’s photography collection is the Museum’s largest and fastest growing division. This amazing growth would not have been possible without the support of Lucinda Bunnen. 

"We are honored to share the works in this collection with Atlanta and to celebrate Lucinda’s invaluable contributions to the High and to the city’s arts community as a whole.”

 

Southern photographers you'll find in the Bunnen show at the High include Radcliffe Bailey, Sheila Pree Bright, Lucinda W. Bunnen, Harry Callahan, Oraien Catledge, William Christenberry, William Eggleston (see image immediately above), Emmet Gowin, Paul Hagedorn, Alex Harris, Gretchen Hupfel, Paul Kwilecki, Clarence John Laughlin, Sally Mann (see image at the top of this blog entry)  Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Susan Harbage Page, Virginia Warren Smith, Elizabeth Turk and Ilia Varcev.

Photographers Not From Around Here in this show include Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Minor White, Nan Golden, Chuck Close, Andres Serrano, Imogen Cunningham, and Robert Rauschenberg. So its an amazing show, well worthy of our attention.

 Just saying -- photography in the South would not be what it is today without the Atlanta Celebrates Photography festival, and ACP would not exist without the aggressive development of the photography collection at the High Museum of Art, and that collection is inconceivable without the contributions of Lucinda Bunnen.

So we all owe her a great debt of gratitude, and we can show that by heading out to Atlanta, ideally for ACP, but if not, then certainly before February, and getting to this show. 

Thank you, Lucinda Bunnen!