"Annie Leibovitz at Work" a must-see at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
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Annie Leibovitz talks about her latest exhibit. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios
A simple picture taken through a car windshield while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge was a turning point in the college career of Annie Leibovitz. Eventually, she shifted from painting and pursued photography.
- Lucky for us.
Driving the news: Leibovitz walked media members through the temporary gallery of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Thursday, ahead of a sold-out lecture tonight and Saturday's opening of the "Annie Leibovitz At Work" exhibit.
State of play: In addition to images taken for Rolling Stone magazine — and many for the Rolling Stones on tour — the show includes new works made specifically for Crystal Bridges.
- Portraits of Stacey Abrams, Elon Musk, Lizzo, Salman Rushdie and the James Webb Space Telescope are just a few rotating on four huge screens.
- The new works will become part of the museum's permanent collection.
- The vital black-and-white photo through a windshield is included in the collection of prints.
🔥 Hot take: Even those who don't embrace photography should enjoy walking through this show.
- Leibovitz has taken pop-culture portraits of poets, royalty, and music and film stars; many of the images are simply iconic.
- Her use of light, both in studio and available, is impressive.
- The exhibit progresses nicely from small photos taken with a 35mm camera early in her career to recent large-format camera work.
- As much as images, recent history is on display. Be sure to allow sufficient time to view the collection.
Worthy of your time: Arkansas PBS will livestream the opening lecture with Leibovitz today at 6pm.
Go see it: "Annie Leibovitz at Work" will be on display at Crystal Bridges from Saturday through Jan. 29. Tickets are required.
- Admission is $12 for adults, but free for museum members, veterans and anyone under 18.
What's next: Following Crystal Bridges, Art & Object reports the exhibit will travel to The Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina; Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California; Frist Art Museum in Nashville, Tennessee; and The Wichita Art Museum in Wichita, Kansas.
💠Worth's thought bubble: Forget the celebs in her portraits — I was star-struck by Leibovitz herself.