Alec Soth
Encyclopedia
Alec Soth is an American photographer notable for "large-scale American projects" featuring the midwestern United States
. His photography has a cinematic feel with elements of folklore
that hint at a story behind the image. New York Times art critic Hilarie M. Sheets wrote that he has made a "photographic career out of finding chemistry with strangers" and photographs "loners and dreamers". His work tends to focus on the "off-beat, hauntingly banal images of modern America" according to The Guardian
art critic Hannah Booth. His work has been compared to photographers such as Walker Evans
and Stephen Shore
.
in Bronxville, New York
. He was reported to be "painfully shy" in his youth.
. He traveled around the Mississippi River
and made a self-printed book entitled Sleeping by the Mississippi which included both landscapes and portraits. Curators for the 2004 Whitney Biennial put him in their show, and one of his photographs entitled "Charles", of a man in a flight suit on his roof holding two model airplanes, was used in their poster.
When he photographs people, Soth feels nervous at times. He said: "My own awkwardness comforts people, I think. It’s part of the exchange." When he was on the road, he'd have notes describing types of pictures he wanted taped to the steering wheel of his car. One list was: "beards, birdwatchers, mushroom hunters, men’s retreats, after the rain, figures from behind, suitcases, tall people (especially skinny), targets, tents, treehouses and tree lines. With people, he'll ask their permission to photograph them, and often wait for them to get comfortable; he sometimes uses an 8x10 camera. He tries to find a "narrative arc and true storytelling" and pictures in which each picture will lead to the next one.
Soth received fellowships from the McKnight
and Jerome Foundations and was the recipient of the 2003 Santa Fe Prize for Photography. His photographs are in major public and private collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
, and the Walker Art Center
. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including the 2004 Whitney Biennial
.
His first book, Sleeping by the Mississippi, was published in 2004. His second book, Niagara, was published in 2006. One of his photos is of a woman in a bridal gown sitting outside what appears to be a motel; he describes having made an arrangement with a particular wedding chapel in Niagara Falls
which let him take pictures of couples getting married, by photographing them after their weddings.
Soth made several more photographic books including Last Days of W, a book about a country "exhausted by George W. Bush
's presidency".
Soth has photographed for The New York Times Magazine
, Fortune
and Newsweek
.
Soth, along with writer Lester B. Morrison, created Broken Manual over four years (2006-2010) an underground instruction manual for those looking to escape their lives. Soth investigates the places in which people retreat to escape civilization. Soth photographs monks, survivalists, hermits and runaways.
Soth concurrently produced the photo book From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America an overview of Soth’s photography from the early 1990s to the present.
Soth founded the publishing house Little Brown Mushroom in 2010.
In 2010, Soth flew to the United Kingdom
but was denied a work visa, but was allowed into the country with the understanding that if he was "caught taking photographs" he could be put in prison for two years. So he handed the camera to his young daughter who took pictures in Brighton.
In 2004, Soth became a nominee of the Magnum Photos
agency and in 2008 he became a full member. He has expressed an interest in photographing "hermits, Scarlett Johansson
, happy people, the Amazon
, unusually tall people, Welsh countryside." He lives with his wife and children in Minneapolis
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His photography has a cinematic feel with elements of folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
that hint at a story behind the image. New York Times art critic Hilarie M. Sheets wrote that he has made a "photographic career out of finding chemistry with strangers" and photographs "loners and dreamers". His work tends to focus on the "off-beat, hauntingly banal images of modern America" according to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
art critic Hannah Booth. His work has been compared to photographers such as Walker Evans
Walker Evans
Walker Evans was an American photographer best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans's work from the FSA period uses the large-format, 8x10-inch camera...
and Stephen Shore
Stephen Shore
Stephen Shore is an American photographer known for his deadpan images of banal scenes and objects in the United States, and for his pioneering use of color in art photography.- Life and work :...
.
Early life
Soth studied at Sarah Lawrence CollegeSarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
in Bronxville, New York
Bronxville, New York
Bronxville is an affluent village within the town of Eastchester, New York, in the United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately north of midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County. At the 2010 census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323...
. He was reported to be "painfully shy" in his youth.
Career
Soth liked the work of Diane ArbusDiane Arbus
Diane Arbus March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971) was an American photographer and writer noted for black-and-white square photographs of "deviant and marginal people or of people whose normality seems ugly or surreal." A friend said that Arbus said that she was "afraid.....
. He traveled around the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and made a self-printed book entitled Sleeping by the Mississippi which included both landscapes and portraits. Curators for the 2004 Whitney Biennial put him in their show, and one of his photographs entitled "Charles", of a man in a flight suit on his roof holding two model airplanes, was used in their poster.
When he photographs people, Soth feels nervous at times. He said: "My own awkwardness comforts people, I think. It’s part of the exchange." When he was on the road, he'd have notes describing types of pictures he wanted taped to the steering wheel of his car. One list was: "beards, birdwatchers, mushroom hunters, men’s retreats, after the rain, figures from behind, suitcases, tall people (especially skinny), targets, tents, treehouses and tree lines. With people, he'll ask their permission to photograph them, and often wait for them to get comfortable; he sometimes uses an 8x10 camera. He tries to find a "narrative arc and true storytelling" and pictures in which each picture will lead to the next one.
Soth received fellowships from the McKnight
McKnight Foundation
The McKnight Foundation is a philanthropic organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. The foundation's interests lie in the environment, the arts, community development, and other areas....
and Jerome Foundations and was the recipient of the 2003 Santa Fe Prize for Photography. His photographs are in major public and private collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is a fine art museum located in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, on a campus that covers nearly 8 acres , formerly Morrison Park...
, and the Walker Art Center
Walker Art Center
The Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn...
. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including the 2004 Whitney Biennial
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennale exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, USA. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932, the first biennial was in 1973...
.
His first book, Sleeping by the Mississippi, was published in 2004. His second book, Niagara, was published in 2006. One of his photos is of a woman in a bridal gown sitting outside what appears to be a motel; he describes having made an arrangement with a particular wedding chapel in Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
which let him take pictures of couples getting married, by photographing them after their weddings.
Soth made several more photographic books including Last Days of W, a book about a country "exhausted by George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's presidency".
Soth has photographed for The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
.
Soth, along with writer Lester B. Morrison, created Broken Manual over four years (2006-2010) an underground instruction manual for those looking to escape their lives. Soth investigates the places in which people retreat to escape civilization. Soth photographs monks, survivalists, hermits and runaways.
Soth concurrently produced the photo book From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America an overview of Soth’s photography from the early 1990s to the present.
Soth founded the publishing house Little Brown Mushroom in 2010.
In 2010, Soth flew to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
but was denied a work visa, but was allowed into the country with the understanding that if he was "caught taking photographs" he could be put in prison for two years. So he handed the camera to his young daughter who took pictures in Brighton.
In 2004, Soth became a nominee of the Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
agency and in 2008 he became a full member. He has expressed an interest in photographing "hermits, Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
, happy people, the Amazon
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
, unusually tall people, Welsh countryside." He lives with his wife and children in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
.
Gallery exhibitions
- Galerie Friedrich Loock, Berlin Germany; "Alec Soth: Broken Moments" (June 10 - July 23, 2011)
- Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN. USA) "Alec Soth: From here to there" (September 12 – January 2, 2011)
- High Museum of art (Atlanta, Ga. USA) "Alec Soth: Black line of woods" (August 8 - Jan 3, 2010)
- Weinstein Gallery (Minneapolis, MN, USA), "Alec Soth: Niagara" (April 7 - June 10, 2006)
- Wohnmaschine (Berlin, Germany), "Alec Soth - Niagara" (March 24 - April 29, 2006)
- Gagosian Gallery (New York, New York, USA), "Alec Soth 'Niagara'" (January 21 - February 25, 2006)
- Gagosian Gallery (New York, New York, USA), "Roger Ballen, Alec Soth and Vera Lutter" (June 4 - July 29, 2005)
- Stephen Wirtz Gallery (San Francisco, CA, USA), "Alec Soth 'Sleeping by the Mississippi'" (June 2 - July 24, 2004)
- Yossi Milo Gallery (New York, New York, USA), "Alec Soth 'Sleeping by the Mississippi'" (March 12 - April 24, 2004)
Collections
- Albright-Knox Gallery of Art, Buffalo, N.Y.
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
- Israel Museum, Jerusalem
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, Wisc.
- Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, Miami, Fla.
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts
- Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
Selected bibliography
- Engberg Siri,"FROM HERE TO THERE: ALEC SOTH'S AMERICA",Walker Art Center,2010. ISBN 9780935640960