“The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) presents the first international traveling exhibition of work by Sally Mann (b. 1951), one of the country’s most influential and distinguished photographers. For more than 40 years, Mann has made experimental, intimate and hauntingly beautiful photographs that explore such themes as the bonds of family, the nature of memory, the pull of place and the ravages of time and mortality. What unites her vision is that it is all bred of a place, the American South. Organized by the Peabody Essex Museum and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, Sally Mann: A Thousand Crossings brings together some 115 photographs, many of which have never been exhibited or published before. The exhibition reveals how Mann’s relationship with her native land — a place rich in literary and artistic traditions but troubled by history — has shaped her work.” — PEM
“Mann’s drive to face the big themes head on — death, war, race, love, the process of growing up — coupled with her extraordinary ability to wrest powerful emotional resonance from the materials of her art make her one of today’s most compelling photographers,” said curator Sarah Kennel. “The breadth and depth of her achievement, the seductive beauty of her photographs and her capacity to simultaneously explore the intimate and the universal reveal an artist at the apex of her powers.”
Sally Mann (American, born 1951), Easter Dress, 1986, gelatin silver print, Patricia and David Schulte. Image © Sally Mann.
Sally Mann (American, born 1951), The Ditch, 1987, gelatin silver print, The Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Sally Mann and Edwynn Houk Gallery. Image © Sally Mann.
Sally Mann (American, born 1951), Bean’s Bottom, 1991, silver dye bleach print, Private collection. Image © Sally Mann.
Sally Mann (American, born 1951), On the Maury, 1992, gelatin silver print, Private collection. Image © Sally Mann.
Sally Mann, (American, born 1951), Deep South, Untitled (Stick), 1998, gelatin silver print, printed 1999 New Orleans Museum of Art, Collection of H. Russell Albright, M.D.. Image © Sally Mann.
Sally Mann (American, born 1951), Deep South, Untitled (Scarred Tree), 1998, gelatin silver print, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund. Image © Sally Mann.
Sally Mann (American, born 1951), Semaphore, 2003, gelatin silver print, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase, 2010.264. Image © Sally Mann.
Sally Mann (American, born 1951), The Turn, 2005, gelatin silver print, Private collection. Image © Sally Mann.
Sally Mann (American, born 1951), Blackwater 25, 2008- 2012, Tintype, Collection of the artist. Image © Sally Mann.
Sally Mann (American, born 1951), Oak Hill Baptist 01:01, 2008-2016, gelatin silver print, Collection of the artist. Image © Sally Mann.
Sally Mann (American, born 1951), Hatton Pond Baptist 04:01, 2008-2016, gelatin silver print, Collection of the artist. Image © Sally Mann.
R. Kim Rushing, Sally with camera (c. 1998). Gelatin silver print. Collection of Sally Mann. Image © R. Kim Rushing.
Images courtesy Peabody Essex Museum.