Celebrity Culture: Photographs from the Collection of the Zimmerli Art Museum

Photography has been used as a vehicle for celebrity from the moment of its invention in the nineteenth century and the photographic image continues to enable celebrity in the digital age.  This exhibition, drawn from the photography collection of the Zimmerli Art Museum, examines the relationship between photography and celebrity from the twentieth century and into the present.  Among the photographs to be included in the exhibition are images of Hollywood glamour by Weegee, who photographed stars and their adoring fans, head shots by Philippe Halsman, Elliott Erwitt's portrait of the recently widowed Jackie Kennedy, a selection of Andy Warhol’s Polaroid portraits, and sports celebrities such as Joe Namath, Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, and Dominique Moceanu, who were photographed by Walter Iooss and Annie Leibovitz. 

This exhibition is organized by Donna Gustafson, Curator of American Art and Mellon Director for Academic Programs, with the assistance of the undergraduate students of the Byrne Seminar “Celebrity and Photography: An Exhibition Seminar at the Zimmerli Art Museum.”