New Acquisitions: Photography

Charles Nègre was a pioneering photographer of French street life and architecture in the mid-nineteenth century. He initially studied as a painter, and his work exhibits a keen eye toward the qualities of light on various surfaces. Nègre made this photograph while the Gothic cathedral at Chartres was being restored, systemically documenting many sculptural and architectural details. The dramatic format of the photographer’s frame emphasizes the slender verticality of the cathedral. The delicate gravure printing, a process by which a metal plate is chemically etched with a photographic image then inked and printed, enhances the ornamental details that flank the royal entrance to the building.

Charles Nègre (French, born Grasse, France, 1820–1880), Cathédrale de Chartres Royal Portal, 1857, photogravure, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of J. Gregory Keller, 2023.362.

Fascinated by the historical magnitude of the Civil Rights Movement, David Alekhuogie made a self-described pilgrimage to Atlanta to immerse himself in the environs that are the home of this legacy. The resulting body of work, Baptism, is a striking series that captures locations where the marks of the movement remain. Some of the sites he visited, such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic birth home, are well known, while others, like the Atlanta Life Insurance Building (the first major Black-owned corporation in Atlanta) are less familiar. Alekhuogie’s sensitive images of these historic places in conversation with a commanding view of the city from filmmaker Tyler Perry’s high-rise office demonstrate how movement to enact change reverberates.

David Alekhuogie (American, born Los Angeles, California, 1986), Birth Home, 2013, pigmented inkjet print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with funds from the Friends of Photography, 2018.11. © David Alekhuogie.

Catherine Opie is celebrated for her carefully composed studio portraits of gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals drawn from her own circle of friends and artists beginning in the 1990s. Pig Pen, whom Opie photographed repeatedly over several years, is shown here before a dramatic red background that alludes to the rich tones and luxury of Renaissance portraiture. This simple but evocative approach gives a sense of dignity and honor to people who may not receive such respect outside of the studio space due to their marginalized status.

Catherine Opie (American, born Sandusky, Ohio, 1961), Pig Pen, 1993, dye coupler print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with funds from the LGBTQIA+ Photography Centennial Initiative, 2024.52. © Catherine Opie.