Eye Wonder: Photography from the Bank of America Collection

A color photograph of a light skinned person wearing a sheeer floral dress sitting on a chair and reclining back on a large blue pillow. They are blowing a large bubblegum bubble while gazing to the left of the frame.
Feb 18 to May 22, 2011

Drawn from a renowned collection of international photography, Eye Wonder: Photography from the Bank of America Collection features more than 100 works, including photographs by Berenice Abbott, Uta Barth, Margaret Bourke-White, Wijnanda Deroo, Rineke Dijkstra, Candida Höfer, Gisèle Freund, Graciela Iturbide, Gertrude Kasëbier, Dorothea Lange, Vera Lutter, Hellen van Meene, and Michal Rovner.

By selecting off-beat subjects, shooting intense close-ups, or manipulating focus and color, the artists featured in the exhibition have created dreamy and often haunting photographic images. As part of the modern or postmodern eras, these artists have understood that photographs offer only an illusion of reality and that the medium is as subjective a means of expression as other visual art forms, music, or literature.

Created between 1865 and today, the works in the exhibition depict landscapes, seascapes, skyscrapers, bridges, museums, theaters, storefronts, living rooms, railroads, airships, animals, fruits, vegetables, flowers, silverware, artists, writers, dancers, and children. Although the works represent a thrillingly broad range of subjects, they do not transcribe scenes in a documentary style. By applying expressive techniques, the photographers in Eye Wonder: Photography from the Bank of America Collection suggest evocative narratives that may be read in infinite ways.

An installation view of a gallery space with white walls and a gray floor. On the wall facing the viewer it says "Eye Wonder: Photography from the Bank of America Collection" in blue and pink letters.

Installation view of Eye Wonder: Photography from the Bank of America Collection exhibition; Photo by Lee Stalsworth

Exhibition Sponsors

Eye Wonder: Photography from the Bank of America Collection is provided by Bank of America Art in our CommunitiesTM program and the Members of NMWA. Lead support for education programs associated with this exhibition is provided by Bank of America.

The Artist,

Berenice Abbott

Berenice Abbott is recognized as the originator of documentary photography or photojournalism. No other photographer had yet envisioned it as a tool of realistic documentation.
A black-and-white photograph of a light-skinned adult older woman wearing a long winter coat and white knitted cap. She has short hair and stands against a backdrop resembling a cloudy sky with her hands in her pockets.

The Artist,

Rineke Dijkstra

Rineke Dijkstra’s crisply detailed photographs of adolescent sunbathers, bull fighters, new mothers, and military personnel highlight the subjects’ physical and psychic states.
A light-skinned adult woman wearing a dark jacket against a dark background. Her hands are tucked into pockets. Her long dark brown hair falls across her forehead, partially obscuring her long eyebrows.

The Artist,

Graciela Iturbide

Graciela Iturbide’s photographs reveal the daily lives, customs, and rituals of Mexico’s underrepresented native cultures.
A black-and-white photograph of an adult woman with short, dark hair looking into the viewfinder of a small film camera. She is outdoors with grass behind her. She holds the camera with her right hand and focuses the lense with her left. She is smiling as she looks into it.

The Artist,

Gertrude Käsebier

Gertrude Käsebier was a leading member of the pioneering photographic movement known as Pictorialism, which emphasized a subjective, painterly approach to photography.
A sepia-toned photograph of a light-skinned adult woman. Standing against a wall, she dons a large black hat with a feather in the brim. She wears a dark dress with a white collared shirt and a long baggy dark coat. She places her left hand on the wall beside her.

The Artist,

Barbara Morgan

Barbara Morgan is best known for her photography of dancers, demonstrating an understanding of and empathy for her subject.
A black-and-white photograph of a light-skinned adult woman standing against a white backdrop and holding a large, antique camera in her hands at an angle. She gazes to the side and has dark, wavy hair and wears a collared, buttoned jacket and slacks.

The Artist,

Michal Rovner

Israeli artist Michal Rovner uses digitally manipulated photography and film to create installations based on abstracted human and natural forms.
A woman with a light skin tone and short hair turns slightly to the right, looking past the viewer. She wears two layers, blue under black, and an expression of inquiry or listening. The white wall she is in front of has the projected image of groupings of black vertical lines.