Although both Citibank and Johnson & Johnson have loaned art to publicmuseums, the majority of their collections remain integral parts of officebuildings and are rarely seen by the public. Both companies have acquiredphotographs since the beginning of their respective art programs in the 1960s.Though the exhibition reflects the specific interests of each corporatecollection, the combined selections provide excellent examples of key aspectsof the history of photography. Included are artists who have expanded thedefinition of photography, and those who work within the traditional parametersof the medium.
The Citibank collection includes pieces ranging from the early years ofphotography through contemporary work. The shifting relationship between artand science is one aspect of the collection, expressed through photographs byEadweard Muybridge, Harold Edgerton and others. A variety of artisticviewpoints from the landscapes of Aaron Siskind, Mark Klett and RichardMisrach, to the unique visions of Duane Michaels and Romare Bearden are alsopresented.
The Johnson & Johnson collection includes strictly twentieth centuryphotographs. The corporation's interest in New Jersey artists and images isconveyed through a range of historic and contemporary photographers includingEster Bubley, Jan Staller and Wendel White. Another aspect of the collectionreflects the nature of the company's business, with images of mothers, fathersand children by Judith Taylor, Elliot Erwitt and Andrea Modica . Providing acontrast to traditional photographic approaches, the collection also includesexamples of alternative process images from photographers such as Geanna Merolaand José Louis Avila.
The exhibit was organized by art curators at Citibank and Johnson &Johnson and is being circulated by the Gallery Association of New York State.
