Julian T. Baker Jr. (1939–2011), a longtime friend and supporter of the North Carolina Museum of Art and a North Carolina native born in Raleigh, started collecting photography in the mid-1990s, and a casual interest soon turned into a passion that resulted in a personal collection of over 700 photographs. Focusing primarily on black-and-white images, and ranging in date from the early 20th century to the present day, Baker’s collection features some of the most important photographers of the 20th century. This gift of 25 photographs significantly expands the breadth and scope of the Museum’s photography collection with works by photographers previously not represented in the permanent collection.
Spanning over 100 years, from 1903 to 2005, the gift includes iconic images by Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Harry Callahan, Allen Frame, Lee Friedlander, Graciela Iturbide, Kenneth Josephson, Michael Kenna, Dorothea Lange, Danny Lyon, Sally Mann, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Aaron Siskind, Alfred Stieglitz, Minor White, and Brett Weston. Including expressive portraits, luminous landscapes, abstractions of city life, and windows into private worlds, these 25 photographs provide a concise overview 20th-century photography and the very personal point of view of one private collector.
The 25 photographs in this exhibition are a gift to the NCMA from the family of Julian T. Baker Jr. and the estate of Julian T. Baker Jr.
