One of the most respected photographers of his generation, Eugene Richards has devoted his career to exploring profound aspects of human experience. Birth, death, family, and the grinding effects of poverty and prejudice, as well as the mental and physical health of individuals and communities, are recurring themes of his work. This exhibition—organized thematically, rather than by project—reveals Richards’s enduring concern with these subjects over the course of his nearly fifty-year career.

Richards’s style is unflinching yet poetic, and his photographs are deeply rooted in the texture of lived experience. Through photographs, writings, and moving-image works, Richards confronts difficult subjects with an impassioned honesty that can be challenging, lyrical, beautiful, and melancholy.

His work is informed by the subjective approach of Robert Frank and the social commitment of W. Eugene Smith. It is distinct from these precedents, however, in that it is more intimate and does not disguise its emotional investment. Richards is, in his own words, “very conscious of what it means to go into someone’s house and take very private moments away in pictures. The responsibility of the photographer is to respect people while—and this is most important—utilizing all your skills to reveal something true about their lives and their humanity.” This way of working results in photographs that can be seen as  more honest and more realistic than traditional documentary imagery.

Ultimately, Richards illuminates aspects of American society that are more easily, or more comfortably, ignored. Yet the tender inflection of his strong, unique voice makes encountering his work an unforgettable and rewarding experience.

TOP IMAGE: Eugene Richards, Wonder Bread, Dorchester, Massachusetts, 1975. Gelatin silver print. Collection of Eugene Richards. © Eugene Richards
A picture of an old building and a dog. Eugene Richards, Peter’s Rock Church, Marianna, Arkansas, 2010. Chromogenic print. Collection of Eugene Richards. © Eugene Richards
Someone on a hospital bed getting help having their finger raised to their lips.  Eugene Richards, Final treatment, Boston, Massachusetts, 1979. Gelatin silver print. Collection of Eugene Richards. © Eugene Richards
A woman in a kiddie pool next to an open fire hydrant on an inner city street. Eugene Richards, Grandmother, Brooklyn, New York, 1993. Gelatin silver print. Collection of Eugene Richards. © Eugene Richards
Couple smoking in the house Eugene Richards, PTSD, McHenry, Illinois, 2014. Chromogenic print. Collection of Eugene Richards. © Eugene Richards
Kid hiding his face outside Eugene Richards, Wonder Bread, Dorchester, Massachusetts, 1975. Gelatin silver print. Collection of Eugene Richards. © Eugene Richards
Photo of an old man in his apartment Eugene Richards, Robert Frank, New York, New York, 2013. Chromogenic print. Collection of Eugene Richards. © Eugene Richards
Black and white image of a couple sitting in bed Eugene Richards, Reverend and Mrs. Landers, Hughes, Arkansas, 1969. Gelatin silver print. Collection of Eugene Richards. © Eugene Richards

Special Thanks

Organized by the George Eastman Museum and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

ICP’s presentation of Eugene Richards: The Run-On of Time is supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional support is provided by the Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, Inc.