Paul Strand

About the Artist

Paolo Gasparini. Paul Strand, Orgeval, France. 1957. Gelatin silver print, 9 x 7" (22.8 x 17.7 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of the photographer. © 2014 Paolo Gasparini
Alternate Name(s) Paul Stransky (Birth Name)

Meeting Points

Cultural Hubs Mexico City
New York
Photo Industry Hubs London
Schools Levy Gallery, 1931–49
Royal Photo Society, 1853–present
Publications Vogue, 1892–1949
Camera Work, 1903–17
Photography, 1839–1937, 1937

Artist Chronology

October 16, 1890	Born At location: Paul Strand	New York
1902	Father gives him a Kodak Brownie, his first camera At location: Paul Strand	New York
1904–09	Studies with Lewis Hine at the Ethical Culture School At location: Paul Strand	New York
1907	Paul Strand visits the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, where he likely meets Alfred Stieglitz At location: Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand	New York
1908	Joins the Camera Club of New York and uses the facilities to develop and print photographs At location: Paul Strand	New York
1910–11	Annual Members' Print Exhibition of the Camera Club Participant: Paul Strand	New York
1911	Publishes work in the Camera Club's journal Photoisms Contributor: Paul Strand	New York
1912–15	Works as a commercial photographer. He is based in New York during this period but travels around the United States making images of colleges At location: Paul Strand	New York
1913	Paul Strand shows his work to Alfred Stieglitz for the first time At location: Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand	New York
February 17–March 15, 1913	International Exhibition of Modern Art, or The Armory Show Participant: Constantin Brancusi, Charles Sheeler Visitor: Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), Paul Strand	New York
1914	Group exhibition of pictorial photography at the Ehrich Gallery Participant: Paul Strand	New York
March–April 1916	Photographs of New York and Other Places, by Paul Strand, his first solo exhibition, opens at 291 gallery Organizer: Alfred Stieglitz Participant: Paul Strand	New York
Summer 1916	Makes his first photographic abstractions at Twin Lakes At location: Paul Strand	Salisbury
1917	Three Photographers at the Modern Gallery Participant: Charles Sheeler, Paul Strand	New York
1918–19	Joins the U.S. army and works as an X-Ray technician in the medical corps at Fort Snelling At location: Paul Strand	Hennepin
1919–32	Lives in New York At location: Paul Strand	New York
1920	Paul Strand and Charles Sheeler make the six-minute film Manhatta (originally titled New York the Magnificent) At location: Charles Sheeler, Paul Strand	New York
1922	Acquires an Akeley motion picture camera and begins filming news and sporting events At location: Paul Strand	New York
October 1922 through spring 1923	Edward Weston travels to New York to visit Alfred Stieglitz; meets Clarence H. White, Paul Strand, Charles Sheeler, and Gertrude Käsebier At location: Charles Sheeler, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Edward Weston	New York
1923	Delivers a lecture at the Clarence H. White School of Photography, later published in the British Journal of Photography as "The Art Motive in Photography" At location: Paul Strand	New York
July 1923	Final Dada event, Soirée du coeur à barbe Includes screenings of Hans Richter's Rhythmus 23, Man Ray's Le Retour à la raison, and Paul Strand and Charles Sheeler's Manhatta Participant: Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), Hans Richter, Charles Sheeler, Paul Strand	Paris
1925	Alfred Stieglitz Presents Seven Americans at the Anderson Galleries Organizer: Alfred Stieglitz Participant: Paul Strand	New York
1926	Photographs in New Mexico and Colorado using a handheld Graflex camera At location: Paul Strand	New Mexico Colorado
1929	Forty New Photographs by Paul Strand at the Intimate Gallery Organizer: Alfred Stieglitz Participant: Paul Strand	New York
November 1930	Photography 1930, organized by Lincoln Kerstein, at the Harvard Society for Contemporary Art Participant: Berenice Abbott, Margaret Bourke-White, Anton Bruehl, Walker Evans, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), Tina Modotti, László Moholy-Nagy, Charles Sheeler, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Edward Weston, George Hoyningen-Huene	Cambridge
1931 and 1932	Spends summers in New Mexico; photographic subjects include clouds and adobe At location: Paul Strand	New Mexico
November 1931	American Photography Retrospective at the Julien Levy Gallery Participant: Paul Strand	New York
April 1932	Exhibition at An American Place Participant: Paul Strand	New York
1932–34	Lives in Mexico; appointed head of photography and cinema at the Department of Fine Arts for the Secretariat At location: Paul Strand	Mexico City
November 26, 1932	Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Paul Strand meet At location: Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Paul Strand	Veracruz
Early 1933	Paul Strand and Manuel Álvarez Bravo travel together briefly At location: Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Paul Strand	Veracruz
February 1933	Solo exhibition at the Sala de Arte of the Secretariat of Education Participant: Paul Strand	Mexico City
1934	Group exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art Participant: Margaret Bourke-White, Anton Bruehl, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Edward W. Quigley	Cleveland
1935	Travels to Moscow; attempts to work with Sergei Eisenstein but is denied a work permit At location: Paul Strand	Moscow
1935	Joins the film group Nykino At location: Paul Strand	New York
1935–51	Lives in New York At location: Paul Strand	New York
1937–42	Founding member and president of Frontier Films, a film cooperative for political and social documentary At location: Paul Strand	New York
1937	Beginnings and Landmarks: "291" at An American Place Participant: Paul Strand	New York
March 17–April 18, 1937	Photography: 1839–1937, organized by Beaumont Newhall, at The Museum of Modern Art Participant: Berenice Abbott, Margaret Bourke-White, Anton Bruehl, Francis Bruguière, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Walker Evans, Florence Henri, André Kertész, George Platt Lynes, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), László Moholy-Nagy, Martin Munkácsi, Roger Parry, George H. Seeley, Peter Sekaer, Charles Sheeler, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Maurice Tabard, Edward Weston, Jacques-André Boiffard, Robert Demachy	New York
1938	Joins the New York Photo League as an advisor and teacher At location: Paul Strand	New York
1940	Publishes the portfolio Photographs of Mexico Contributor: Paul Strand	New York
December 31, 1940–January 12, 1941	Sixty Photographs: A Survey of Camera Aesthetics at The Museum of Modern Art Participant: Berenice Abbott, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), Lisette Model, László Moholy-Nagy, Charles Sheeler, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Edward Weston	New York
April 25–June 10, 1945	Paul Strand: Photographs 1915–1945, organized by Nancy Newhall, at The Museum of Modern Art Participant: Paul Strand	New York
June 20, 1945–June 23, 1946	The Museum Collection of Photographs at The Museum of Modern Art Participant: Berenice Abbott, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), Lisette Model, László Moholy-Nagy, Charles Sheeler, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Edward Weston	New York
June 10–August 31, 1947	Alfred Stieglitz Exhibition: His Collection at The Museum of Modern Art Participant: Constantin Brancusi, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Charles Sheeler, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand	New York
April 6–July 11, 1948	In and Out of Focus: A Survey of Today's Photography at The Museum of Modern Art Participant: Berenice Abbott, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Lotte Jacobi, Lisette Model, Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Edward W. Quigley	New York
July 27–September 26, 1948	50 Photographs by 50 Photographers at The Museum of Modern Art Participant: Berenice Abbott, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Bill Brandt, Francis Bruguière, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), Lisette Model, Tina Modotti, László Moholy-Nagy, Charles Sheeler, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Edward Weston	New York
1951–76	Lives in Orgeval At location: Paul Strand	Orgeval
March 31, 1976	Dies At location: Paul Strand	Orgeval

Walther Photographs

View this artist's works in MoMA's Online Collection

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About the Artist

Meeting Points

Artist Chronology

Walther Photographs

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