Marvin E. Newman “Sequentially Sought”

An exhibition of photographs by Marvin E. Newman made in New York and Chicago in the 1950s, Sequentially Sought presents groupings of Newman’s work in six different series that explore street subjects in rhythmic riff and repetition. The exhibition will also include a short film made by Newman with Yasuhiro Ishimoto.

With a keen eye for the quirkiness of the urban environment, Newman conveys both pathos and humor in his compositions. He chooses his subjects deliberately, shooting sequences of related events, locations, movements, or objects. Focusing on both the sameness of theme and the subtle difference in each frame, his still work inspires narrative and communicates with an illusion of movement.

Among the subject matter on view are denizens of the winter boardwalk in Brooklyn, men lying on park benches in summer, relentless ocean waves, mannequin heads in Chicago storefronts, and men in suits spot lit with sun shadows. In addition to his street work, Newman worked for major magazines including Life and Newsweek. The exhibition includes a dizzying overhead shot of the New York Stock Exchange, made for a spread about Wall Street in Esquire magazine in 1957.

Film: The Church on Maxwell Street, 1951
In 1951, Newman collaborated with Yasuhiro Ishimoto, a fellow photographer and student from the Institute of Design in Chicago, on a seven-minute short documentary film, The Church on Maxwell Street, which focused on the African-American community in Chicago. Both photographers were drawn to the action and excitement of Maxwell Street, famous for its street musicians and known as the birthplace of Chicago Blues. The exhibition includes a rare public showing of the film.

About Marvin E. Newman
Marvin E. Newman was born in 1927 and raised in the Bronx. He attended Brooklyn College where he studied sculpture and photography with Walter Rosenblum and Bernice Abbott. In 1948, Newman briefly joined the Photo League where he took classes with John Ebstel. He moved to Chicago in 1949 to study at the Institute of Design with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind, where he received one of the first master’s degrees in photography. After obtaining his degree in 1952, Newman moved back to New York City. The following year, his work was included in the Museum of Modern Art’s “Always the Young Stranger” (1953).

Newman has authored or coauthored eight books on the subject of photography. A new book about his color photography will be published by Taschen next year. His work has appeared in many publications, including Sports Illustrated, Life, Look, Newsweek, and Smithsonian. In 1983, he served as the national president of the American Society of Magazine Photographers. He was the recipient of the Lucie Award for his achievements in sports photography in 2009. Notably, his work was included the celebrated exhibition Radical Camera: New York’s Photo League 1936-1951, which was shown at the Jewish Museum in New York, the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio, the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, and the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach between 2012 and 2013. His work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the National Gallery, Washington, D.C.; and the Art Institute of Chicago.