Porgy and Bess (Leontyne Price as Bess, Cab Calloway as Sportin' Life and Richard Warfield as Porgy), Chicago
Artist/Donor
Bob Lerner
(American, 1926 - 2019)
Publisher
Look Magazine
CultureAmerican
Date1952, printed 2002
MediumInkjet print
DimensionsOverall, Image: 11 7/8 × 13 1/16 in. (30.2 × 33.2 cm)
Overall, Paper: 12 15/16 × 19 1/8 in. (32.9 × 48.6 cm)
Overall, Paper: 12 15/16 × 19 1/8 in. (32.9 × 48.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of the artist
Object number2005.8.13
Not on view
DescriptionThis is an inkjet printLabel TextRobert Lerner American, b. 1926 Porgy and Bess (Leontyne Price as Bess, Cab Calloway as Sportin' Life and William Warfield as Porgy), Chicago, 1952 Inkjet print (photograph), printed 2005 Set in Charleston, South Carolina with an all-black cast, George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess shocked the opera world when it premiered in New York City in 1935. Early runs were brief, but the 1952 revival production enjoyed wider acclaim, including a review in LOOK magazine, published with this photograph. Though the subsequent international tour (underwritten by the U.S. State Department) brought fame to cast members like Juilliard-trained singer Leontyne Price, the show’s racial stereotypes drew mounting criticism as the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum. Gift of Bob Lerner 2005.8.13 Exhibition History"A Lens to the World: Photographs by Bob Lerner," Alice R. and Frank B. Sol Photography Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, January 29 - August 17, 2003. "Women and the Civil Rights Movement," Photography Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, June 14 - October 30, 2016. Published ReferencesForeword by Brooks Johnson, _A Lens to the World: Photographs by Bob Lerner_, exh. cat, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., 2003. _Bob Lerner ArtBeat! #409_, prod. Richard Salzberg and Cynthia Pardy, 28:30 min., Norfolk, WHRO Public Television, 2003, videocassette.
