 "Pilgrimage," an exhibition of more than 70 of these stunning
photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection,
opens at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum on Feb.
8, 2014, and runs through Aug. 31.Visitors will see the
landscapes that captured Leibovitz's imagination: Niagara Falls,
Yellowstone National Park, a New Mexico mesa. They can scrutinize
her close-ups of objects like Emily Dickinson's only surviving
dress, Elvis Presley's motorcycle and a bullet hole put in a target
by Annie Oakley.
Abraham Lincoln plays a major role in "Pilgrimage." Leibovitz
photographed the stovepipe hat and the gloves Lincoln had with him
on the night of his assassination, as well as a handwritten copy of
the Gettysburg Address, photographic negatives of Lincoln and the
Lincoln Memorial. Her photos of the bloodstained gloves were taken
at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
Access to the exhibition will be free with paid admission to the
presidential museum.
Leibovitz has described the "Pilgrimage" project as a way to
rejuvenate herself – shooting only what inspired her, without
deadlines or assignments. "I made a crazy list and just sort of went
down a different path. I loved, I loved doing this project," she
told NPR.
Members of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation
can attend a preview event with Leibovitz on Feb. 7.
"Annie Leibovitz took a personal pilgrimage, and it produced
beautiful photographs exploring the American landscape, great
artists and important thinkers, particularly Abraham Lincoln," said
Amy Martin, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
"We know our visitors will appreciate her vision, and we hope
they're inspired to take a personal pilgrimage of their own."
"Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage" at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Museum is made possible through the generous support of Macy's.
"Macy's is very pleased to sponsor this exhibit and help make it
available to our community," said Stacy Fitzhenry, vice president
and store manager of Macy's White Oaks. "The exhibit will be so
unique and powerful – combining the iconic work of Annie Leibovitz
and the iconic historical images from our great president Abraham
Lincoln. ‘Giving back' is one of Macy's brand values, and we are
delighted to help make this exhibit possible."
With "Pilgrimage," Leibovitz pays tribute to many trail-blazing
women. Authors Dickinson and Virginia Woolf are included, and so are
Eleanor Roosevelt, artist Georgia O'Keeffe, singer Marian Anderson
and sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
"Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage" is organized by the Smithsonian
American Art Museum. The Bernie Stadiem Endowment Fund provided
support for the exhibition. The C.F. Foundation in Atlanta, Ga.,
supports the museum's traveling exhibition program, Treasures to
Go.
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The Leibovitz photographs will be complemented by elements from
the Lincoln Presidential Library's own collections, selected by Mary
Michals. The museum will also present a reading of Virginia Woolf's
essay "A Room of One's Own" and selections from the play "The Belle
of Amherst," both directed by Phil Funkenbusch. Also on the
schedule: a screening of the Marilyn Monroe thriller "Niagara."
___
About Annie Leibovitz
Annie Leibovitz was born Oct. 2, 1949, in Waterbury, Conn. Her
father was an officer in the Air Force, and her childhood was spent
on a succession of military bases. She began her career as a
photojournalist for Rolling Stone in 1970. Her pictures have
appeared regularly on magazine covers ever since. Leibovitz's large
and distinguished body of work encompasses some of the most
well-known portraits of our time.
She became Rolling Stone's chief photographer in 1973, and by the
time she left the magazine, 10 years later, she had shot 142 covers
and published photo essays on scores of stories. In 1983, when she
joined the staff of the revived Vanity Fair, she was established as
the foremost rock music photographer and an astute documentarian of
the social landscape. At Vanity Fair, and later at Vogue, she
developed a large body of work — portraits of actors, directors,
writers, musicians, athletes, and political and business figures, as
well as fashion photographs — that expanded her collective portrait
of contemporary life.
Several collections of Leibovitz's work have been published:
"Annie Leibovitz: Photographs" (1983); "Annie Leibovitz: Photographs
1970–1990" (1991); "Olympic Portraits" (1996); "Women" (1999), in
collaboration with Susan Sontag; "American Music" (2003); "A
Photographer's Life, 1990-2005" (2006); "Annie Leibovitz at Work"
(2008), a first-person commentary on her career; and "Pilgrimage"
(2011).
Exhibitions of Leibovitz's work have appeared at museums and
galleries all over the world, including the National Portrait
Gallery and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the
International Center of Photography in New York, the Stedelijk
Museum in Amsterdam, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in
Paris, the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the Hermitage
Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
She lives in New York with her three children.
[Text from
Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
file received from the
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]
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