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Segregation stories: Gordon Parks in the US south

The great photographer documented black family life in postwar Alabama – and the dignity and resilience people showed under discriminatory Jim Crow laws

Segregation stories: Gordon Parks in the US south

TL;DR

  • Exhibition "Gordon Parks: The South in Colour" at Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta.
  • Features previously unshown works alongside recognized pieces from Parks' Segregation Story series.
  • Commemorates the 70th anniversary of Parks' landmark images of the segregated US south in Life magazine.
  • Highlights the 20th anniversary of The Gordon Parks Foundation.
  • Parks used a Rolleiflex camera and shot in color to capture the lives of the Thornton family and others under Jim Crow laws.
  • Parks' career spanned over 50 years, with notable work for Life magazine and films like The Learning Tree and Shaft.
  • The exhibition aims to deepen the emotional and historical resonance of Parks' work, showcasing the dignity and resilience of black life.
  • Parks' personal experiences with poverty, segregation, and loss influenced his art.