Exhibition Featuring Two Views of Street Photography To Open at Pitt’s University Art Gallery Feb. 20

A new exhibition featuring photographs of people captured in fleeting moments of everyday life will open Feb. 20 at the University Art Gallery, located in Pitt’s Frick Fine Arts Building. 

Following a 4-6 p.m. opening reception on Wednesday, Feb. 20, Capturing the Street: Garry Winogrand and Ned Bosnick will run from Feb. 21 through March 22, Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Alexandra Oliver, an art history PhD candidate specializing in photography, will conduct a free guided tour of the exhibition at noon on March 21. The gallery is closed during Pitt’s Spring Recess, March 11-15.

Gallery curator Isabelle Chartier says Capturing the Street comprises two views of street photography by Winogrand (1928-1984) and Bosnick (1937-2011). Winogrand surprised people on the streets, taking photographs of them unexpectedly. Bosnick worked surreptitiously, keeping a physical distance from his subjects, who were unaware they were being caught on film. Both photographers were witty observers of urban spontaneity.

The exhibition features 15 photographs from Winogrand’s series Women are better than men. Not only have they survived but they do prevail and 39 images from Bosnick’s series The Talk of Paris.

About Garry Winogrand

A street photographer known for his portrayal of America in the mid-20th century, Winogrand was considered a central photographer of his generation. He roamed the streets of New York City, shooting his subjects with a 35 mm Leica camera equipped with a wide-angle lens. From the beggar to the secretary, the policeman to the shopper, people captured in Winogrand’s photos define American urban history. 

About Ned Bosnick

Born just east of Pittsburgh in Universal, Pa., Bosnick bought his first camera upon graduation from Penn Hills High School. He earned a master’s degree in cinema from UCLA in 1965 and wrote and directed a few films, all the while developing a growing interest in still photography. From 1982 to 1995, he photographed extensively in Texas and in Paris, using his background in composition, lighting, and cinematography. Bosnick died in Houston in 2011.