Dreaming in Black and White: Photography at the Julien Levy Gallery

by Katherine Ware, Peter Barberie

Julien Levy (1906–1981) was one of the most influential proponents of photography and Surrealism during the second quarter of the twentieth century. In his gallery, which operated from 1931 to 1949, Levy hosted the first New York exhibition devoted to Surrealism and presented early solo exhibitions of many photographers now considered iconic in their field, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Clarence John Laughlin, George Platt Lynes, and Lee Miller. He also developed close relationships with artists Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, and Man Ray, among others, and is credited with discovering Joseph Cornell.

This handsome book is published to commemorate the centenary of Levy’s birth and to celebrate the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s major acquisition of more than 2,500 photographs from his collection. With some 300 illustrations, including many unfamiliar works by well-known artists, the catalogue presents a stunning survey of this collection, long hidden from public view. Essays illuminate Levy’s pivotal role in promoting both photography and Surrealism in the United States and his impact as a gallerist and tastemaker at a crucial juncture in the development of photography. The publication also includes illustrations of rich archival material related to Levy’s gallery and collection.

Genres: Photography

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book celebrating the contribution of Julien Levy and his gallery in promotion of photography and Surrealism in the United States features early Surrealist prints by well-known photographers like Thurman Rotan and Manuel Álvarez Bravo, but also lesser-known photographers including my personal favorite, Eugène Atget. These talented men and women took photography from portraiture to art almost before the technology was in place to do so. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did.

PS - My favorite print in the book is Plate 261 (page 301) taken by Stella Simon who is no one more or less important than a mother of one of Julien Levy’s Harvard classmates and the woman who he credits with introducing him to “the world of photographers.” The subject is a whimsical parade of pachyderms: “Untitled (Design for a photomural)”.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful collection. i love how the photographs are loosely grouped by subject and composition.