Gordon Parks Retrospective 'Voices in the Mirror' Opens at Jack Shainman Gallery
From September 18 to November 7, 2026, the Jack Shainman Gallery in New York will host 'Voices in the Mirror,' an extensive showcase of Gordon Parks's photography that spans his entire career. This exhibition celebrates the 20th anniversary of The Gordon Parks Foundation, featuring works from the 1940s to the 1980s, including significant moments from the Civil Rights Movement, Harlem, and the segregated South. A highlight is 'American Gothic, Washington, D.C.' (1942), which reinterprets Grant Wood's iconic painting with Ella Watson. The collection also includes portraits of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Muhammad Ali, along with personal images of Black families in Alabama. Unique to this exhibition are reflections from the families of Ali and Malcolm X, as well as insights from individuals featured in Parks's work, such as Kathleen Cleaver and Cora Taylor. Parks began his photography journey in 1937 and became the first Black photographer for the Farm Security Administration five years later. The exhibition is located at 46 Lafayette Street, New York, NY.
Key facts
- Exhibition dates: September 18 – November 7, 2026
- Venue: Jack Shainman Gallery, 46 Lafayette Street, New York, NY
- Marks the 20th anniversary of The Gordon Parks Foundation
- Features 'American Gothic, Washington, D.C.' (1942), depicting Ella Watson
- Includes reflections from families of Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X
- Firsthand responses from Kathleen Cleaver, Kate Clark Harris, Kyle Johnson, and Cora Taylor
- Parks became the first Black photographer hired by the Farm Security Administration in 1942
- Parks discovered photography in 1937 after encountering FSA photographers
Entities
Artists
- Gordon Parks
- Ella Watson
- Malcolm X
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Muhammad Ali
- Kathleen Cleaver
- Kate Clark Harris
- Kyle Johnson
- Cora Taylor
- Grant Wood
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Helen Frankenthaler
- Ingrid Bergman
- Qubilah Shabazz
- Russell Lee
- Marion Post Wolcott
- Lonnie Ali
- Rebecca Walker
- Alice Walker
- Hank Willis Thomas
- Bryan Stevenson
- Ava DuVernay
- Philip B Kunhardt Jr
- Kenneth Clark
- Mamie Clark
- Eldridge Cleaver
- Philip B. Kunhardt Jr.
- Thelma Golden
- Deborah Willis
- Anderson Cooper
- Isabella Rossellini
- Gloria Vanderbilt
- Sofia Coppola
- Milena Canonero
- Kirsten Dunst
- Jason Schwartzman
- Eleanor Coppola
- Jonathan Abbott
- Ann Goldstein
- Johanna Burton
- Jessica McCormack
- Diego Velázquez
- Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel
- Cardinal Francesco Barberini
- Paulus Pontius
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Salvador Salort-Pons
- Volker Hermes
- Demna
- Peter Zumthor
- Jeff Koons
Institutions
- Jack Shainman Gallery
- The Gordon Parks Foundation
- Farm Security Administration
- Alma Communications
- Farm Security Administration (FSA)
- Life magazine
- Colossal
- Gordon Parks Foundation
- Muhammad Ali Center
- The Guardian
- Third Wave
- Equal Justice Initiative
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
- GBH
- Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania
- PBS
- KQED
- Château de Versailles
- Mubi
- Jessica McCormack
- Boucheron
- Van Cleef & Arpels
- Cartier
- Chaumet
- Harrods
- J. Paul Getty Museum
- Detroit Institute of Arts
- Yorkshire Sculpture Park
- Mestiza Estudio
- Canica
- Gucci
- Fondation Beyeler
- Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
- U-Haul Art Fair
- Dallas Invitational
- Hublot
- Maison Michel
- Chanel
- The Met
- Salone del Mobile
- Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
- Studio MUKA
- Surface magazine
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Harlem
- Washington, D.C.
- Alabama
- Mobile
- Shady Grove
- Chicago
- Illinois
- Fort Scott
- Kansas
- Phoenix
- Arizona
- Miami
- Florida
- Miami Beach
- Anson County
- North Carolina
- New York City
- Mobile, Alabama
- Shady Grove, Alabama
- London
- England
- Washington DC
- Tribeca
- Algiers
- Algeria
- Los Angeles
- California
- United Kingdom
- Versailles
- France
- Paris
- Place Vendôme
- Madison Avenue
- South Coast Plaza
- Rodeo Drive
- San Francisco
- Pennsylvania
- Italy
- Detroit
- Yorkshire
- Mexico City
- Mexico
- Riyadh
- Saudi Arabia
- Houston
- Santa Monica