In the Desert

Nevada Museum of Art
160 West Liberty Street
Reno

June 26, 2010 - September 26

Lewis Baltz: In the Desert

"... featuring 28 photographs by the internationally-renowned photographer recognized as an icon of contemporary photography due to the pivotal role he played in the New Topographics photography movement that emerged in the mid-1970s.

Two series of photographs "Nevada" and "Near Reno" will be included in the exhibition. These series consist of black-and-white photographs that Baltz took of construction sites and abandoned areas in the northern Nevada desert region between 1977 and 1986.

Many of the images in the exhibition are those for which the artist became best known. The Nevada portfolio was completed while Baltz worked as an artist-in-residence at the University of Nevada, Reno under the Nevada Arts Council Artist-in Residence Program. Nevada includes images of stark desert terrain and the discarded objects and relics often found in the desert.

Near Reno is a suite of photographs Baltz made when he returned to northern Nevada in June of 1986. The series examines various construction sites and documents evidence of human influence on the surrounding landscape. Both series prove that the American West was a source of continual inspiration for Baltz, and that he returned time and again to the region, even though he had already achieved national and international success as an artist.

The works in this exhibition are from the Nevada Museum of Art's signature Altered Landscape photography collection, which includes over 700 photographs addressing issues such as suburban development, the mining industry, military installations, and the nuclear legacy in the American West."

[Text and graphic from museum website: Caption: "Lewis Baltz, Night Construction, Reno, from the Nevada portfolio, 1977. Gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 inches. Collection of the Nevada Museum of Art, The Altered Landscape, Carol Franc Buck Collection." Click on image to enlarge.]