How do you reproduce photographs? Artists and scientists faced this challenge beginning in the first half of the 19th century. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C., introduces the first 100 years of photogravure with Etched by Light: Photogravures from the Collection, 1840-1940. The exhibits will be on display beginning Oct. 15.
Almost simultaneously with the invention of photography came the question of how to reproduce it identically and thus make it commercially viable. Numerous artists and scientists in Europe in the early 19th century explored ways to develop so-called photogravures. The result was a further development of the aquatint process developed in the 1760s, and later photoengraving led to modern intaglio printing. Today, photogravures, which require toxic chemicals to produce, are no longer used commercially; in the 19th century, they were widely practiced. The National Gallery of Art's exhibition Etched by Light: Photogravures from the Collection, 1840-1940 now features 40 photogravures and illustrated books that introduce the beginnings and heyday of this technique. Many exhibits have never been on display before. Visitors can experience them in Washington, D. C., from Oct. 15, 2023, to Feb. 4, 2024.
Early pioneers of photogravure include William Henry Fox Talbot, Hippolyte Fizeau and Charles Nègre. Later photographers such as James Craig Annan, Peter Henry Emerson, and Alfred Stieglitz used it to push artistic boundaries. Finally, Man Ray and Laure Albin Guillot, among others, created large photogravures that became world famous and represented the culmination of this technique.
The Neue Nationalgalerie is honoring Nan Goldin's work from the last 45 years with a comprehensive exhibition. The photographer conquered the art world with her snapshot aesthetic and is considered one of the most influential artists of our time. Nan Goldin: This Will Not End Well can be seen in Berlin from November 23.
It was one of the most moving decades in the history of the United Kingdom: the 1980s, characterized by strikes, protests and AIDS. Photographers documented this period and in some cases became political activists themselves through their images. The exhibition The 80s: Photographing Britain opens on November 21 at the Tate Britain in London.
