The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs has unveiled an exhibition titled "Ways of Seeing" at the New Mexico Museum of Art. The exhibition features nearly forty photographs, showcasing a diverse range of art collecting approaches.
The exhibition, which runs from January 20 to June 16, 2024, includes notable additions such as a 1903 photogravure by Gertrude Käsebier and a 2013 pigment print by local artist Anthony O’Brien. W.M. Hunt, a New Yorker, offers a thematic perspective on photography by presenting images where the subjects' eyes are hidden or obscured. According to the Department of Cultural Affairs, renowned photographer and collector Donald B. Moritz has contributed works by New Mexico photographer David Michael Kennedy, including a portfolio of cloud studies. The collection will also feature photographs from Hunt's donation by artists such as Adam Fuss, Debbie Fleming Caffery, Inge Morath, Saul Steinberg, Ruth Thorne Thomsen, Arthur Tress, Gerald Slota, Minor White, and Joel-Peter Witkin.
"Ways of Seeing is an interesting study of taste and the profound reasons why collectors select objects for their personal collections," said Mark A. White, the museum’s Executive Director. He added that "the exhibition is an important reminder of how collectors have shaped and grown the photography collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art."
The New Mexico Museum of Art was established in 1917 and forms one part of four state museums in Santa Fe. It contributes to the Museum of New Mexico System as a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. Previously known as the Museum of Fine Arts until 2007, it is supported by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation which raises funds for exhibitions and educational programs.