Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Lyon, Danny |
Title |
Mr. Rum Dum, Racing T-Bird, Knoxville, 1967 |
Medium |
Gelatin silver print |
Date |
1967 |
Description |
Danny Lyon (Brooklyn 1942; lives and works in New Mexico) Mr. Rum Dum, Racing T-Bird, Knoxville, 1967 Gelatin silver print from a unique Knoxville 1967 portfolio printed by the artist for the KMA, 2014 11 x 14 inches Knoxville Museum of Art, 2014 purchase with funds provided by Pamela and Jeffrey Peters Danny Lyon is considered one of America's most original and influential documentary photographers, and is known for the extraordinary lengths to which he goes to immerse himself in his subject. He was jailed while marching against segregation during the civil rights movement, rode with the notorious Chicago Outlaws as a full-fledged member for a year, and spent fourteen months photographing life on death row inside the Texas prison system. His goal, he said, was "to destroy Life magazine"-to present powerful, authentic alternatives to the hollow pictures and stories permeating mass media in America. These photographs stem from Lyon's brief stopover in Knoxville in late August of 1967 in order to visit the childhood home of writer James Agee. He admired Agee's brutally candid and descriptive work, especially his collaboration with photographer Walker Evans in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. As Lyon explained, "Agee's writing had a more profound effect on me at the time than Evans's photographs…Agee had an unshakeable belief in documentary photography and film as a powerful instrument of truth." When Lyon arrived at the location of Agee's home near the intersection of Highland Avenue and 15th Street in the Fort Sanders neighborhood, he was dismayed to find that the writer's residence had been demolished and replaced by the James Agee Apartments, which he described as "like some kind of perverse tombstone for this great man." Instead of getting back in his car and driving on to Galveston, Lyon was compelled to stay and explore Agee's hometown. He photographed the streets of Fort Sanders, downtown Knoxville, carnival workers ("carnies") at the Tennessee Valley Fair, and a local drag strip. Lyon was so inspired he made a journal entry explaining that "I have photographed every day and every day done more…by Labor Day weekend I had exposed 14 rolls of 35 mm Tri-X…the most I've done in such a short period (five days)." Lyon's images offer a compelling and candid view of a Southern city during a time of social and economic unrest, and attest to his ability to become an insider in any setting he encountered. The gelatin silver prints on view were produced by Lyon and printer Chuck Kelton as part of a one-of-a-kind portfolio made especially for the Knoxville Museum of Art's collection. As Lyon observed, "It's been a long time. I am glad these pictures have come home." |
Catalog Number |
2014.15.09 |
Search Terms |
Black & white photographs Photographs Silver gelatin prints Gelatin silver prints Prints Automobiles |
Credit line |
purchase with funds provided by various donors - see individual object descriptions |