National Heritage Museum Presents Portraits In American Music

LEXINGTON, MASS.

:A salute to Twentieth Century American music is being composed at the National Heritage Museum via the photography exhibition "Gershwin to Gillespie: Portraits in American Music" on view April 15 through September 17.

The exhibition offers glimpses into the lives and personalities of the greatest American musicians and composers, as captured by some of the most influential American photographers, including Philippe Halsman and Annie Leibovitz. Among those depicted in the 50 featured photographs are George Gershwin, Dizzy Gillespie, Leonard Bernstein, Lukas Foss, John Philip Sousa, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin. The exhibition was organized by George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film.

"Individually, these images present us with portraits of determination, idealism and a strong sense of self. As a group, these images give us a wonderful cross-section of American musical life," noted musicologist Olivia Mattis, guest curator of the exhibition. "These are complicit images involving a partnership between a number of America's most influential photographers and some highly creative American music personalities who were concerned about their place in history."

The exhibition is arranged in four sections: Champions of American Music, Great American Composers, Legends of American Jazz and Icons of American Pop. The musical legends have been captured in various poses and settings, from studio shots and live stage performances to recording sessions.

For instance, Halsman's portrait of Louis Armstrong clearly illustrates why Halsman was Life magazine's most popular cover photographer. Rolling Stone photographer Leibovitz is represented through her creative images of Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson and B.B. King. Also on view, is the story behind Art Kane's famous "A Great Day in Harlem" - one of the most famous jazz images of all time.

"In putting together the exhibition, I looked for images by photographers who were at least as well known as the subjects," Mattis explained. "For Sinatra I chose Halsman. For Bob Dylan I chose Annie Leibovitz. For Gershwin, I chose Steichen. I was not interested in snapshots nor in publicity shots. Rather, I looked for images where the photographer and the musician were engaged in a creative dialogue. There is a spark or an energy that is released when two creative forces come together in a single artistic expression."

The National Heritage Museum is at 33 Marrett Road, at the corner of Route 2A and Massachusetts Avenue. For information, 781-861-6559 or www.nationalheritagemuseum.org.