Past Exhibitions: 2005

Walker Evans and James Agee: Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

October 22, 2005–December 18, 2005

This exhibition recreates one of the seminal literary-artistic collaborations of the 20th century through the magisterial photographs of Walker Evans, documenting the plight of Alabama sharecroppers during the Great Depression, alongside the prose of James Agee. Initiated as an assignment from Fortune magazine as an article about poverty in the South, the project was never published by Fortune, but was instead realized in book form in 1941. Contemporary critics were struck by the power of Evans’s portraits, which convey the simple dignity of the families portrayed. The Museum is pleased to present this rare opportunity to rediscover an extraordinary American achievement.

Walker Evans and James Agee: Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, curated by Ulrich Keller, is from the collections of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin, and is was organized by the Ransom Center and Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibition (CATE), Los Angeles. The exhibition is circulated by CATE.

This exhibition is made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund.

Additional support for the Ann Arbor showing has been provided by the Katherine Tuck Enrichment Fund and the Doris Sloan Memorial Fund.

Walker Evans Allie Mae Burroughs 1936 Gelatin silver print Courtesy of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin	Walker Evans Washing and Dining Area of Burroughs's Home 1936 Gelatin silver print Courtesy of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin
Walker Evans William and Ida Ruth Tengle 1936 Gelatin silver print Courtesy of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin	Walker Evans Main Street 1936 Gelatin silver print Courtesy of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin
Walker Evans Floyd Burroughs 1936 Gelatin silver print Courtesy of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin	Walker Evans Bud Fields Standing in Cotton Field 1936 Gelatin silver print Courtesy of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin

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