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NEWS
metronews.ca WEEKEND, June 7-9, 2013
From Leibovitz with love: ‘Simply immense’ collection comes to AGNS ‘Portrait of the babyboom generation.’ Halifax gallery receives large donation of Annie Leibovitz photos from Toronto family haley ryan
haley.ryan@metronews.ca
A young Meryl Streep pulls at the corner of her face, white with makeup. A cigarette dangles from John Belushi’s mouth, his curly hair peeking out beneath a black fedora. John Lennon’s naked body curls up against Yoko Ono as he plants a kiss on her cheek. These famous Annie Leibovitz photos, plus many more, will be part of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’s permanent Snapshots in time
Collection photos are from these books: Annie Leibovitz: Photographs, The White Oak Dance Project, Annie Leibovitz: Photographs 1970-1990, Olympic Portraits, Women, American Music, A Photographer’s Life: 1990-2005, Annie Leibovitz at Work, Pilgrimage, and one to be published at the end of the year.
Annie Leibovitz getty images
collection thanks to a Toronto family’s donation. “Annie is sort of the person who’s taken the portrait of the baby-boom generation,” said gallery director Ray Cronin during an announcement Thursday. “Since pop-art we sort of have lived in a culture of fame and celebrity, and I don’t think anybody has depicted that better since Andy Warhol.” Cronin said the 2,000 photos in the collection are from Leibovitz’s books, published since 1983, and were donated by the children of Al and Faye Mintz. The gallery director said the collection is unique because of the large size of the prints. The photos of Belushi and Lennon are the smallest, at 38 by 38 inches. The largest print is 38 inches by 16 feet. Leibovitz wanted her photos to go to a gallery with a commitment to education and
Premier Darrell Dexter speaks at an announcement at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia on Thursday. The gallery is adding a large collection of Annie Leibovitz’s photos to the permanent collection. Jeff Harper/metro
contemporary art, one that wouldn’t “keep it in vaults,” Cronin said. “This is going to be the thing that brings in people who’ve never been in an art museum in their life,” he said. The New York photographer doesn’t have a connection with the province, but she knows that Nova Scotia is where the “best smoked
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“You can’t be understated. This is simply immense for the province and it’s immense for the art gallery.” Premier Darrell Dexter, on a donation of 2,000 Annie Leibovitz photos to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’s permanent collection
salmon” comes from, Cronin said. “It’s almost like an infer-
iority complex we have in the Maritimes.... We can’t imagine that anyone would think we’re
great,” Cronin said. “But the rest of the world tends to think we’re great.” Cronin says the photos can all be seen online, but are best seen in person. “There’s something almost magical about being actually in the face of something, seeing the real thing,” Cronin said. “It feels like you are in (the photo) with them.”