Signs of Life

The Danish documentary photographer Peter Sekaer (1901–1950) was one of the key contributors to U.S. government photographic projects during the Great Depression. Sekaer photographed alongside Walker Evans in the American South during the Farm Security Administration years, and photographs by the two are sometimes indistinguishable. But Sekaer, who was a painter and who made a living as a sign painter, was an accomplished and prolific photographer who combined a strong sense of advocacy with a highly attuned graphic eye. This exhibition, organized by former curator Julian Cox for the High Museum of Art, consists of about 80 prints made from 1935 to 1945, and is the first major museum exhibition devoted to Sekaer's work. The presentation at ICP is curated by Associate Curator Kristen Lubben.