Photography as a Way of Life

The High will be the exclusive Southeast venue for this touring exhibition that examines the overlapping careers of Minor White, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan, profoundly influential photographers, teachers, and thinkers who redefined photography in the mid-twentieth century.


Amid photography’s increasing recognition as an art form in the 1950s and 60s, these three artists carved out a new role and status for the medium, building a devoted audience for their work and shaping the aspirations of the era. Though they came from distinct backgrounds and visual traditions, they converged around their inclinations toward abstraction and deeply personal expression and a shared belief that photography could sustain a life’s work.


Drawing from the rich holdings of the Princeton University Art Museum and its Minor White Archive, the exhibition will feature iconic and previously unpublished color and black-and-white prints, rarely seen slides, and an array of published and archival materials. The exhibition also traces the artists’ expansive networks through work by both their students and contemporaries, such as Emmet Gowin, Roy DeCarava, Linda Connor, Arthur Siegel, Ming Smith, and John Baldessari, among others.

This exhibition is organized by the Princeton University Art Museum and curated by Brendan Fay, associate professor of art history in the School of Art and Design at Eastern Michigan University. The exhibition at Princeton was made possible by leadership support from Jim McKinney and the late Valerie McKinney; Anne Robinson Woods; Sandy and Robin Stuart; the Wyeth Foundation for American Art; and other generous donors.