American Photography (Dream)
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam are currently hosting a special exhibition simply entitled “American Photography” [Unforgettable images of the beauty and brutality of a nation]. I went there recently with my daughter for a viewing.
I had no clue as to what this exhibition would include or what it was about before I went. I just thought it could be vaguely interesting and a good Daddy / Daughter gig!
Turns out that the 200 some images on display are, combined, a visual history of America over the past 150 years or so. As in the film title - the good, the bad and the ugly.
The New York Times described the exhibition as explore[ing] the tension between how the United States would like to see itself, and how it really looks.
Given what is happening in the USA these days, the following posters of what encapsulates the American dream spoke to me.
I don’t think there’s much more to say there…
The photographs on display are a mix of the historical, the trivial, the powerful and the informative. Some of Robert Frank’s “The Americans” are featured and add powerfully to the narrative of a country that was - and still is - grappling with racism, loneliness and consumer culture.
If you’re in Amsterdam before June 9th, wholly recommend a visit. You won’t regret it!
