Special exhibit celebrates the trailblazing woman whose camerawork captured celebrities, surrealists and the zeitgeist of her era
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – “I’d rather take a photograph than be one,” Lee Miller famously declared.
Although her first work was as a model, Miller (1907-1977) – the trusted confidante of many influential artists and an eyewitness to some of the most extraordinary moments of the 20th century – made lasting contributions as a photographer. Sweeping in scope and intimate in focus, The Woman Who Broke Boundaries: Photographer Lee Millersurveys her fascinating personal life and remarkably incisive portraiture and photojournalism. The exhibition is organized by The Dalí Museum and will feature more than 130 images from Miller’s prolific body of work. The exhibition will be on view exclusively at The Dalí Museum July 3, 2021, through Jan. 2, 2022.
The exhibition concentrates on Miller’s portraits of important writers and artists, the majority associated with the Surrealist movement in Paris, and with whom she had sustained personal relationships. Also featured is a small selection of striking self-portraits, images captured during the liberation of Paris and Germany at the end of the Second World War, and photos representative of technical advancements in the medium she chose to express herself and capture the times.
The Woman Who Broke Boundaries: Photographer Lee Milleris curated by Dr. William Jeffett, chief curator of exhibitions at The Dalí Museum. The photographs are on loan from the Lee Miller Archives in Sussex, England. www.leemiller.co.uk.
“Equally unconventional and ambitious, Lee Miller continually reinvented herself, much like the artists she lived among and photographed,” said Dr. Hank Hine, executive director of The Dalí. “With a wry Surrealist quality, her work intimately captured a range of people and historical moments; however, the passion, intensity and restlessness of the woman behind the camera tells the most extraordinary stories. We hope visitors embrace her trailblazing creativity and are inspired to examine their own boundaries.”
“The breadth of photographs featured is an expression of Miller’s desire to open avenues of professional engagement and personal choice that were closed to women in her time,” added Jeffett. “She is truly one of the most fascinating figures of the 20th century.”
This special exhibit is generously supported by BNO Creative Labs, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE), John and Mary Stachnik, Sandy Taraszki and David Zuern.
Related Programs and Events
The Dalí has organized several programs and events inspired by this special exhibit. Details, including tickets and reservations, are available at TheDali.org.
Accepting submissions now through Sept. 14, the Museum is hosting a photo contest, inviting all to step into the role of photojournalist and share an original photograph that tells a story of a significant moment from the past decade.
Starting July 1, The Dalí debuts a monthly Film Club, holding virtual conversations about films that highlight women who break traditional boundaries.
Educational lectures are available throughout the exhibit, including guest speaker Dr. Jamie Goldenberg on July 22, who will share the psychology behind boundary-breaking women throughout history; award-winning photojournalist Boyzell Hosey on Aug. 26, who will discuss his life and experiences as a photographer; and Ursula Szczepinska of the Florida Holocaust Museum on Sept. 23, who will explore the role photography played during the Holocaust and its significance today. Additionally, the Museum’s monthly Coffee with a Curator series returns to the Museum starting July 7.
On Aug. 21, the Museum will hold the Spirits of the Age: An Evening of Art and Spirit Tasting, featuring sips from local distilleries reflective of the Roaring 20s, Prohibition and the wartime years of the 1940s.
A Fashion Photography Workshop, in homage to Miller’s work for Vogue and other magazines, will be held on Sept. 4, in collaboration with the Morean Arts Center.
Coming soon to The Dalí
Picasso and the Allure of the South, organized with Musée national Picasso-Paris, explores the influence of southern Europe on the artist’s revolutionary work. The exhibition will be presented exclusively at The Dalí Museum Jan. 29-May 22, 2022, and features many works on view for the first time in the U.S. Some of Pablo Picasso’s most creative and prolific artistic periods took place during extended sojourns in the mountain towns of northern Spain and along the Mediterranean coast of France. Picasso and the Allure of the South considers the artist’s deep and abiding connection to this cross-cultural region, where he made many of his most important contributions to modern art.
About The Dalí Museum
The Dalí Museum, located in the heart of picturesque downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, is home to an unparalleled collection of over 2,400 Salvador Dalí works, including nearly 300 oil paintings, watercolors and drawings, as well as more than 2,100 prints, photographs, posters, textiles, sculptures and objets d’art. The Museum’s nonprofit mission, to care for and share its collection locally and internationally, is grounded by a commitment to education and sustained by a culture of philanthropy.
The Dalí is recognized internationally by the Michelin Guide with a three-star rating; has been deemed “one of the top buildings to see in your lifetime” by AOL Travel News; and named one of the ten most interesting museums in the world by Architectural Digest. The building itself is a work of art, including a geodesic glass bubble, nicknamed The Enigma, featuring 1,062 triangular glass panels, a fitting tribute to Salvador Dalí’s legacy of innovation and transformation. Explore The Dalí anytime with the free Dalí Museum App, available on Google Play and in the App Store. The Dalí Museum is located at One Dalí Boulevard, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701. For more information visit TheDali.org.
# # #
Media Contact: Amber Hendrickson | Blue Water Communications
amber@bluewatercommunications.biz | 800.975.3212