Lynn Davis
Encyclopedia
Lynn Davis is an American
photographer known for her large-scale black-and-white photographs which are widely collected publicly and privately and are internationally exhibited.
between 1962–1964, and at the University of Minnesota
from 1964–1966. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts
from the San Francisco Art Institute
in 1970, and in 1974 she began her career as an apprentice to Berenice Abbott
.
Davis' first exhibition hung at the International Center of Photography
(New York
) in 1979, alongside her close friend Robert Mapplethorpe
. After her first trip to Greenland
in 1986 she gave up photographing the human form, shifting her lens toward the monumental landscapes and cultural/architectural icons for which she is renowned.
Lynn Davis is represented by Knoedler & Company in New York. She lives in Hudson, New York
with her husband, writer Rudy Wurlitzer
.
Her prints appear in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art
(New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
, the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, among others. In 1999 the J. Paul Getty Museum
held an exhibition of Davis' prints, and a solo show, Africa, was held at the Center for Creative Photography
in Tucson in 1999.
Her work also appears in the following publications (non-comprehensive list):
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer known for her large-scale black-and-white photographs which are widely collected publicly and privately and are internationally exhibited.
Biography
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1944 she studied at University of ColoradoUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
between 1962–1964, and at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
from 1964–1966. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
from the San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
in 1970, and in 1974 she began her career as an apprentice to Berenice Abbott
Berenice Abbott
Berenice Abbott , born Bernice Abbott, was an American photographer best known for her black-and-white photography of New York City architecture and urban design of the 1930s.-Youth:...
.
Davis' first exhibition hung at the International Center of Photography
International Center of Photography
The International Center of Photography is a photography museum, school, and research center in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
(New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) in 1979, alongside her close friend Robert Mapplethorpe
Robert Mapplethorpe
Robert Mapplethorpe was an American photographer, known for his large-scale, highly stylized black and white portraits, photos of flowers and nude men...
. After her first trip to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
in 1986 she gave up photographing the human form, shifting her lens toward the monumental landscapes and cultural/architectural icons for which she is renowned.
Lynn Davis is represented by Knoedler & Company in New York. She lives in Hudson, New York
Hudson, New York
Hudson is a city located along the west border of Columbia County, New York, United States. The city is named after the adjacent Hudson River and ultimately after the explorer Henry Hudson.Hudson is the county seat of Columbia County...
with her husband, writer Rudy Wurlitzer
Rudy Wurlitzer
Rudolph "Rudy" Wurlitzer is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is known for his experimental style and has a large cult following for both his novels and screenplays. His fiction includes Nog, Flats, Quake, Slow Fade, and Drop Edge of Yonder...
.
Her prints appear in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
(New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
, the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, among others. In 1999 the J. Paul Getty Museum
J. Paul Getty Museum
The J. Paul Getty Museum, a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, is an art museum. It has two locations, one at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, and one at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California...
held an exhibition of Davis' prints, and a solo show, Africa, was held at the Center for Creative Photography
Center for Creative Photography
The Center for Creative Photography , established in 1975 and located on the University of Arizona campus, is a research facility and archival repository containing the full archives of over sixty of the most famous American photographers including those of Edward Weston, Harry Callahan and Garry...
in Tucson in 1999.
Publications
Books showcasing Davis' work include:- "Space Project" Monacelli Press/Random House, November 2009
- Illumination, New York: DK Adult, 2007 (Monograph, with text by: Pico IyerPico IyerPico Iyer is a British-born essayist and novelist. He is the author of numerous books on travel including Video Night in Kathmandu. His shorter pieces regularly appear in Time, Harper's, NYRB and many other publications.-Life and career:...
) - Persia, Paris: Galerie Karsten Greve, 2006 (Exhibition Catalog)
- Water, New York: Edwynn Houk Gallery, 2005 (Exhibition Catalog)
- American Monument, New York: Monacelli Press, 2004 (Monograph, with text by: Witold RybczynskiWitold RybczynskiWitold Rybczynski , is a Canadian-American architect, professor and writer.Rybczynski was born in Edinburgh of Polish parentage and raised in Surrey, England before moving at a young age to Canada. He attended Loyola High School , located on Sherbrooke street, in Montreal-Ouest...
) - Ice, New York: Edwynn Houk Gallery, 2001 (Exhibition Catalog)
- Lynn Davis, New York: Edwynn Houk Gallery, 2000 (Exhibition Catalog)
- Monument, Santa Fe: Arena Editions, 1999 (Monograph with text by: Patti SmithPatti SmithPatricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
& Rudolph Wurlitzer) - Bodywork: 1978-1985, Kilchberg/Zurich: Edition Stemmle, 1994 (Monograph)
- In Response to Place: Phototgraphs from the Nature Conservancy's Last Great Places, Washington D.C.: The Nature Conservancy (pages 80–89, also includes works by photographers: Lee FriedlanderLee FriedlanderLee Friedlander is an American photographer and artist. In the 1960s and 70s, working primarily with 35mm cameras and black and white film, Friedlander evolved an influential and often imitated visual language of urban "social landscape," with many of the photographs including fragments of...
, Annie LeibovitzAnnie LeibovitzAnna-Lou "Annie" Leibovitz is an American portrait photographer.-Early life and education:Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Leibovitz is the third of six children. She is a third-generation American whose great-grandparents were Jewish immigrants, from Central and Eastern Europe. Her father's...
, Sally MannSally MannSally Mann is an American photographer, best known for her large black-and-white photographs—at first of her young children, then later of landscapes suggesting decay and death.-Early life and education:...
and Mary Ellen MarkMary Ellen MarkMary Ellen Mark is an American photographer known for her photojournalism, portraiture, and advertising photography. She has had 16 collections of her work published and has been exhibited at galleries and museums worldwide. She has received numerous accolades, including three Robert F...
, among others) - Wonders of the African World (Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr., is an American literary critic, educator, scholar, writer, editor, and public intellectual. He was the first African American to receive the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship. He has received numerous honorary degrees and awards for his teaching, research, and...
; New York: Knopf, Fall 1999)
Her work also appears in the following publications (non-comprehensive list):
- El Silencio, pages 70–78 (Matador, Issue K, 2008)
- An Eye for the Sacred, pages 56–63, 94 and 97 (Shambhala SunShambhala SunThe Shambhala Sun is an independent, bimonthly magazine that offers a nonsectarian view of 'Buddhism, Culture, Meditation, and Life.' Presented are teachings from the Buddhist and other contemplative traditions, with an emphasis on applying the principles of mindfulness and awareness practices to...
, January 2008) - An Artist’s Portrayal of China, page 31 (Northeast Antique & Auction, 2003)
- The Questing Eye, pages 74–77 (House & GardenHouse & Garden (magazine)House & Garden was an American shelter magazine published by Condé Nast Publications that focused on interior design, entertaining, and gardening....
, 2003) - Abitareverona Magazine, No. 3 (2002)
- Along the Silk Route, pages 51–57 (Portfolio: China, Shambhala SunShambhala SunThe Shambhala Sun is an independent, bimonthly magazine that offers a nonsectarian view of 'Buddhism, Culture, Meditation, and Life.' Presented are teachings from the Buddhist and other contemplative traditions, with an emphasis on applying the principles of mindfulness and awareness practices to...
, September 2002) - Reportage dal Mondo dei Sogni, page 53 (Denis Curti; Vivi Milano, Belle Arti, September 2002)
- Linee di Ghiaccio (Tempo Libero, September 2002)
- John Kane: Gehlek Rinpoche Likes It That Way, pages 45–50 (Shambhala SunShambhala SunThe Shambhala Sun is an independent, bimonthly magazine that offers a nonsectarian view of 'Buddhism, Culture, Meditation, and Life.' Presented are teachings from the Buddhist and other contemplative traditions, with an emphasis on applying the principles of mindfulness and awareness practices to...
, July 2002) - Ice Memory, pages 30–37 (Elizabeth Kolbert; New Yorker, January 2002)
- Les Line, page 124 (Audubon, March-April 2002)
- Dal Sudan alla Groenlandia a Caccia di Architetture Naturale, page 9 (Francesca Memeo; La Stampa, 2002)
- Body Icons, page 32 (Athens, Greece, Photographic Center of Skopelos, 1998)
- Aperture, Moments of Grace Spirit in the American Landscape, page 3 (New York, Aperture (magazine)Aperture (magazine)Aperture is a quarterly photography magazine and a book publisher based in New York, New York. The magazine is published by Aperture Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to fine art photography.-Magazine:...
, 1998) - Sea Change: The Seascape in Contemporary Photography, page 25 (James Hamilton-Peterson and Trudy Wilner Stack; Tucson, AZ: Center for Creative PhotographyCenter for Creative PhotographyThe Center for Creative Photography , established in 1975 and located on the University of Arizona campus, is a research facility and archival repository containing the full archives of over sixty of the most famous American photographers including those of Edward Weston, Harry Callahan and Garry...
, 1998) - Water Proof (Lisbon, Portugal : Centro Cultural de Belém, 1998)
Awards
- Academy Award in Art from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Creative Artist Public Service Program Grant