The Family of Man
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The Family of Man is the title of an exhibit of photos collected by Edward Steichen in the 1950s and first presented in 1955 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. According to Steichen, the exhibition represented the 'culmination of his career'. The 503 photos were selected from almost 2 million pictures taken by 273 photographers, famous and unknown, in 68 countries, and offer a striking snapshot of the human experience which lingers on birth, love, and joy, but also touches war, privation, illness and death. His intention was to prove visually the universality of human experience and photography's role in its documentation.
The exhibit was turned into a book of the same name, which contained an introduction by Steichen's brother-in-law, Carl Sandburg, and became an instant classic. The book was reproduced in a variety of formats (most popularly a pocket-sized volume) in the 50s, and was reprinted in large format for its 40th anniversary. It remains in print and has sold more than 4 million copies.
The exhibition later travelled in several versions to 38 countries. More than 9 million people viewed the exhibit. The only surviving edition was presented to Luxembourg, the country of Steichen's birth, and is on permanent display in Clervaux .
[edit] References
- Steichen, Edward (2003) [1955]. The Family of Man. New York: The Museum of Modern Art. ISBN 0-87070-341-2
- Sandeen, Eric J. Picturing An Exhibition: The Family of Man and 1950s America. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1995.
