WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath November 10, 2012–February 2, 2013
Dmitri Baltermants, Attack—Eastern Front WWII, 1941, gelatin silver print, printed 1960, the MFAH, gift of Michael Poulos in honor of Mary Kay Poulos at "One Great Night in November, 1997." © Russian Photo Association, Razumberg Emil Anasovich
Unknown Japanese photographer, War in Hawaiian Water. Japanese Torpedoes Attack Battleship Row, Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, gelatin silver print, the MFAH, gift of Will Michels.
Thomas Hoepker, A US Marine drill sergeant delivers a severe reprimand to a recruit, Parris Island, South Carolina, from the series US Marine Corps boot camp, 1970, 1970, inkjet print, Thomas Hoepker / Magnum Photos. © Thomas Hoepker / Magnum Photos
Arkady Shaikhet, Partisan Girl, 1942, gelatin silver print, the MFAH, gift of Marion Mundy. © Arkady Shaikhet Estate, Moscow
Susan Meiselas, Muchachos Await Counter Attack by the National Guard, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, 1978, chromogenic print, printed 2006, the MFAH, museum purchase with funds provided by Photo Forum 2006. © Susan Meiselas / Magnum Photos
Henri Huet, The body of an American paratrooper killed in action in the jungle near the Cambodian border is raised up to an evacuation helicopter, Vietnam, 1966, gelatin silver print, printed 2004, the MFAH, museum purchase. © Associated Press
Joe Rosenthal, Old Glory Goes Up on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, February 23, 1945, gelatin silver print, the MFAH, Manfred Heiting Collection, gift of the Kevin and Lesley Lilly Family. © AP / Wide World Photos
Alfred Palmer, Women aircraft workers finishing transparent bomber noses for fighter and reconnaissance planes at Douglas Aircraft Co. Plant in Long Beach, California, 1942, gelatin silver print, the MFAH, gift of Will Michels in honor of his sister, Genevieve Namerow.
Peter van Agtmael, Darien, Wisconsin, October 22, 2007, chromogenic print, ed.# 1/10, printed 2009, the MFAH, gift of David and Cindy Bishop Donnelly, John Gaston, Mary and George Hawkins, and Mary and Jim Henderson in memory of Beth Block. © Peter van Agtmael / Magnum Photos
Jonathan C. Torgovnik, Valentine with her daughters Amelie and Inez, Rwanda, from the series Intended Consequences, 2006, chromogenic print, ed. # 11/25, the MFAH, gift of the artist. © Jonathan Torgovnik
Philip Jones Griffiths, Called "Little Tiger" for killing two "Viet Cong women cadre"—his mother and teacher, it was rumored, Vietnam, 1968, gelatin silver print, the Philip Jones Griffiths Foundation, courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery. © Philip Jones Griffiths / Magnum Photos
Micha Bar-Am, The return from Entebbe, Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel, from the series Promised Land, 1976, inkjet print, courtesy of the artist and Andrea Meislin Gallery, New York. © Micha Bar-Am / Magnum Photos
On Veterans Day 2012, the MFAH debuts an unprecedented exhibition exploring the experience of war through the eyes of photographers. WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath gathers together nearly 500 objects, including photographs, books, magazines, albums, and photographic equipment.
Images recorded by more than 280 photographers, from 28 nations, span 6 continents and more than 165 years, from the Mexican-American War in the mid-1800s to present-day conflicts. Iconic photographs as well as previously unknown images are featured, taken by military photographers, commercial photographers (portrait and photojournalist), amateurs, and artists.
Plan Your Visit
• Download a map of the exhibition floor plan.
• The photographs in this exhibition may not be suitable for all visitors.
The exhibition examines the relationship between war and photography, exploring the types of photographs created during wartime, as well as by whom and for whom. Rather than being organized chronologically, or as a survey of “greatest hits,” the images are arranged to show the progression of war: from the acts that instigate armed conflict to “the fight,” to victory and defeat, and photos that memorialize a war, its combatants, and its victims. Portraits of servicemen, military and political leaders, and civilians are a consistent presence.
Accompanying the show is a 600-page illustrated catalogue featuring interviews and essays by curators, scholars, and military historians. After the Houston premiere, WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY travels to the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles; the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC; and the Brooklyn Museum.
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Generous funding is provided by:
Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation
The Annenberg Foundation
Mr. James Edward Maloney and Mr. Carey Chambers Maloney
The Trellis Fund/Betsy and Frank Karel
The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Inc.
Mr. Charles Butt
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
An Anonymous Donor in memory of Thomas W. Tucker
Chris Hondros Fund
Isla and Tommy Reckling
Trust for Mutual Understanding
Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities
Richard and Dodie Jackson
Nancy Powell Moore
Kelly Wirfel and John Holcomb
Admission for veterans and active duty military is generously underwritten by:
