For one month only, from March 10 to April 6, “A Positive View” returns to Somerset House showcase a range of photography on an international scale, under the royal patronage of Prince William supporting Crisis, the homelessness charity.
The third edition of this fully curated, museum-scale photographic exhibition will bring together more than 100 rare and signed vintage works across almost a century of photography; classic and contemporary works will cross a variety of genres, from still life, fashion, landscape, portraiture and reportage. It will be followed by a royal gala reception and auction at Christie’s on April 15, in aid of Crisis.
Two outstanding Henri Cartier-Bresson masterpieces will be on show; his renowned “Seville,” 1933, and the magical “Queen Charlotte’s Ball, London,” 1959. Other highlights will include a rare landscape by Elliot Erwitt, “Wyoming Steam-Train Press,” 1954; “Friends of the Spanish Press,” 1968, by the winner of the 2007 Venice Biennale Golden Lion, Malick Sidibe; a haunting image from Robert Polidori’s “New Orleans” series, 2006; and Corinne Day’s iconic and first-seen photograph of the supermodel Kate Moss, “Kate,” 1990.
These will be shown along with a still life of Francis Bacon’s “Studio,” 2001, from Perry Ogden’s “7 Reece Mews” series and Wim Wenders’ classic “Lounge Painting, Gila Bend, Arizona,” 1987.
For the first time, “A Positive View” will also feature work from contemporary artists whose creative practice incorporates photography, with geographically diverse representations from Korea, China, Japan and West Africa.
With signature works by Seydou Keita, Yum Joongho, Bohn-Chang Koo and Weng Fen among others, “A Positive View” will provide an unusual and interesting opportunity to consider how practitioners beyond Europe and America are working with photography. In another departure, the 2010 edition of “A Positive View” will also include works by unknown photographers, all clients of the homelessness charity Crisis who have been studying photography at the Crisis Skylight, education, training and employment centers in London and Newcastle.
Somerset House is at Strand. For information, www.somersethouse.org.uk or +44 20 7845 4600.
