Gordon Parks Retrospective 'Voices in the Mirror' Opens at Jack Shainman Gallery
Jack Shainman Gallery in New York will host 'Voices in the Mirror,' a major exhibition of Gordon Parks' photography from September 18 to November 7, 2026. The show coincides with the 20th anniversary of The Gordon Parks Foundation. Parks (1912-2006) used his camera as a tool for social justice, capturing civil rights leaders like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as artists such as Helen Frankenthaler and Ingrid Bergman. He is best known for his candid portraits of families in the segregated South during Jim Crow. The exhibition includes iconic works like 'American Gothic, Washington, D.C.' (1942), depicting Ella Watson with a broom and mop, a direct response to Grant Wood's painting. Parks was inspired to pursue photography in 1937 after seeing Farm Security Administration (FSA) images, and in 1942 he became the first Black photographer hired by the FSA. The show features anecdotes from subjects like Qubilah Shabazz (Malcolm X's daughter) and Cora Taylor, who appears in 'Segregation in the South' (1956).
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Voices in the Mirror' runs September 18 to November 7, 2026 at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York.
- The show marks the 20th anniversary of The Gordon Parks Foundation.
- Gordon Parks (1912-2006) was a pioneering photographer who used his camera for social justice.
- He captured civil rights leaders Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and artists like Helen Frankenthaler and Ingrid Bergman.
- Parks is known for candid portraits of families in the segregated South during Jim Crow.
- Iconic work 'American Gothic, Washington, D.C.' (1942) depicts Ella Watson with a broom and mop, referencing Grant Wood's painting.
- Parks was inspired to become a photographer in 1937 after seeing Farm Security Administration (FSA) images.
- In 1942, he became the first Black photographer hired by the FSA.
- The exhibition includes anecdotes from Qubilah Shabazz and Cora Taylor.
- Parks said: 'I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs.'
Entities
Artists
- Gordon Parks
- Malcolm X
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Helen Frankenthaler
- Ingrid Bergman
- Grant Wood
- Ella Watson
- Qubilah Shabazz
- Cora Taylor
- Russell Lee
- Marion Post Wolcott
Institutions
- Jack Shainman Gallery
- The Gordon Parks Foundation
- Farm Security Administration (FSA)
- Life magazine
- Colossal
Locations
- New York
- New York City
- Harlem
- Washington, D.C.
- Mobile, Alabama
- Shady Grove, Alabama
- United States