Gender and art

Julia Margaret Cameron was one of the leading and most innovative photographers of the nineteenth century. She is probably best known for her powerful portraits. She also placed the models she asked to sit for her – friends, relatives and servants – in a Biblical, historical and allegorical context. Her photographs were groundbreaking for several reasons: Cameron deliberately made them blurred and out of focus, containing small scratches, spots and other marks of the production process. Although she was criticized for her unconventional approach, the beauty of her compositions and her dedication to photography as an art form also earned her considerable admiration.

Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879), pioneer of photography

14.03.2015 - 14.06.2015

Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent, Belgium

Zoe, Maid of Athens, 1866, Julia Margaret Cameron

One of the greatest portraitists in the history of photography, Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–1879) blended an unorthodox technique, a deeply spiritual sensibility, and a Pre- Raphaelite–inflected aesthetic to create a gallery of vivid portraits and a mirror of the Victorian soul. This will be the first New York City museum exhibition devoted to Cameron's work in nearly a generation, and the first ever at the Met. The showing of thirty-five works is drawn entirely from the Metropolitan's rich collection, including major works from the Rubel Collection acquired in 1997 and the Gilman Collection acquired in 2005.

Julia Margaret Cameron            

August 19, 2013–January 5, 2014

The Metropolitan Museum of Art