L. Parker Stephenson Photographs is pleased to present a selection of vintage prints of experimental photography from early post-World War II Europe and the United States. This group exhibition includes works by leading figures associated with the German based Subjektive Fotografie movement and Chicago’s Institute of Design, as well as others who worked independently. In all cases, these artists shared a dedication to exploring the structure of photographic processes to realize their visions.

During the period when a new consumerist culture, nurtured by unparalleled economic expansion, coexisted with Cold War anxieties, many American and European artists turned away from realism to focus inwardly. In their quests, the photographers among them took as source material the avant-garde work of their predecessors in the 1920s and 30s and further challenged, deconstructed and otherwise experimented with the unique nature of the medium. Through the exploration of light, paper, film, contrast and chemistry they played with forms to create surreal imagery, emphasize movement and speed, or make abstractions.

This expression of the psychological through the physical or gestural was echoed throughout many arts of the period (e.g. Abstract Expressionism) as was the deconstruction and questioning of the conventions of the media themselves (e.g. Beat poetry, free jazz). With respect to the latter, comparisons can inevitably be made with the current generation of artists experimenting with technology to create photo-based work.

Artists whose work is on view include Roger Catherineau (France); Josef Breitenbach, Heinz Hajek-Halke, Peter Keetman, Otto Steinert (Germany); Pim Van Os (The Netherlands); Harry Callahan, Lou Jacobs Jr., Ray K. Metzker, Arthur Siegel, Edmund Teske, Jerry Uelsmann (United States); and Hungarian born György Kepes and Russian born Val Telberg, both of whom spent much of their lives in the US.

For additional information or to request images, please contact the Gallery at +1 212 517-8700 or by email at info@lparkerstephenson.nyc.