The Getty Center presents "Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985," a traveling exhibition from the National Gallery of Art featuring 150 images by Black midcentury photographers. The show, on view from February 24 through June 14, includes works by Gordon Parks, Ming Smith, Carrie Mae Weems, Adger Cowans, Doris A. Derby, Harry Adams, Leonard Freed, John Simmons, and others, capturing moments of protest, daily life, and community resistance.
The exhibition matters because it highlights how Black photographers of the mid-20th century documented both the struggles and joys of life under racial oppression, creating a visual legacy that continues to influence contemporary art and culture. Associate curator Mazie Harris notes that these decades still resonate in today's politics and artistic communities, making the show a vital link between historical activism and current creative expression.