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Nicholas Nixon: The Brown
Sisters
November 13, 2005 - February 20,
2006
One of the most compelling
investigations of both portraiture and time in contemporary photography
is on view in Nicholas Nixon: The Brown Sisters, at the National
Gallery of Art in the West Building ground floor photography galleries from
November 13, 2005, through February 20, 2006. The exhibition 
presents photographer Nicholas Nixon's best-known work,
a series of black-and-white portraits of his wife Bebe and her three sisters
taken each year since 1975. While the photographs have their roots in family
snapshots, the rigor of the artist and the commitment of the women to the
project transcend their heritage to create a moving testament of human relationships.
(right: Nicholas Nixon, The Brown Sisters, 1978, gelatin silver
print sheet: 20.2 x 25.2 cm (7 15/16 x 9 15/16 inches). National Gallery
of Art, Washington, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2001.67.168)
The series as a whole has become a remarkable record that
grows in strength with each new addition. It has also attracted much attention:
in 1999 the Museum of Modern Art in New York displayed the first 25 years;
a version also has been shown at Harvard University's Fogg Museum. Earlier
in 2005, 30 years of the annual pictures were included in an exhibition
of Nixon's work at the Cincinnati Art Museum. The exhibition of 31 photographs
in Washington, DC is organized by the National Gallery of Art.
"Nixon's eloquent photographs command our attention
and provoke our curiosity," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National
Gallery of Art. "We are delighted to present this landmark series to
visitors to the National Mall from around the world."
The Exhibition
Since 1975, Nicholas Nixon has photographed his wife Bebe
and her three sisters each year, working within a number of deliberate constraints.
The format of the pictures was set with the first one and has not varied
substantially in the intervening 31 years. The sisters are lined up in the
same order from left to right: Heather, Mimi, Bebe, Laurie. With few exceptions,
the setting is outdoors on a lawn or a beach, and in natural light. Nixon,
who stands before the group with an 8x10 view camera, appears at times as
a shadow cast across the women. No matter how many exposures he makes, Nixon
selects only one to represent the women each year.
Working within these limited parameters, Nixon has created
a powerful essay on the passage of time, capturing attendant changes and
shifting moods while testifying to the enduring nature of family ties. When
all 31 photographs made between 1975 and 2005 are examined, viewers can
study not only incidental changes in background, lighting, and dress, but
also the gradual, incremental aging of the women, and such momentous life-events
as pregnancy. Close scrutiny also suggests changes in both the demeanor
and psychology of the women and their relationships with each other.
Nixon's admiration for photographer Walker Evans first
led him to work with large-format cameras, first one that uses 4 x 5 inch
negatives and then one that uses 8 x 10 inch negatives. For The Brown Sisters,
he employs a large 8 x 10 view camera mounted on a tripod and must load
each sheet of film separately for each exposure. He then uses his 8 x 10
negatives to make contact prints, which gives the resulting photographs
maximum clarity and impact.
Artist's Biography
Nicholas Nixon was born in 1947 in Detroit, Michigan. He
studied American literature at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and
received an MFA in photography at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
Nixon has worked as an independent photographer since 1974. He is the recipient
of two John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowships, three National
Endowment for the Arts Photographer's Fellowships, and a Massachusetts Council
for the Arts "New Works" Grant. He currently is a professor of
photography at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.
Nixon has been exploring portraiture and social photography
since the 1970s. Although best known for The Brown Sisters, he has
created several other series noted for their humanity and restrained emotion.
Nixon often spends a year or two exploring his chosen theme: among his subjects
have been nursing home residents (Old People), AIDS patients in their
final months (People with Aids), and Boston schoolchildren (School).
His photographs have been exhibited at numerous museums
and galleries, including the Art Institute of Chicago; Cleveland Museum
of Art, Ohio; and Museum of Modern Art, New York. He has published many
books of photographs, including: Nicholas Nixon (2003); A City
Seen (2001); The Brown Sisters (1999); School: Photographs
from Three Schools (1998); People with AIDS (1991); Family
Pictures (1991); Nicholas Nixon: Pictures of People (1988); and
Photographs from One Year (1983). Nixon's photographs are in the
collections of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum
of Fine Arts in Boston, among many others.
Curator and Related Activities
Sarah Greenough, curator and head of the department of
photographs, National Gallery of Art, is the exhibition curator.
Staff lecturer Sally Shelburne will present a Gallery Talk
about the exhibition on November 16 and 29 and December 4 at 1:00 p.m.;
and December 3 and 13 at noon.
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition, the documentary
film Other People's Pictures (Cabot Philbrick and Lorca Shepperd,
2004, 53 minutes) captures nine passionate collectors who talk about their
motives for collecting vintage snapshots. The filmmakers will be on hand
to discuss the film when it is shown on Saturday, November 12 at 12:30 p.m.
in the East Building Auditorium.
The exhibition is made possible through the generous support
of the Trellis Fund and The Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation.
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