Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder
Mario Giacomelli (Italian, 1925–2000) Io non ho mani che mi accarezzino il volto (There Are No Hands to Caress My Face), 1961–63 Gelatin silver print, 11 7/8 x 15 7/8 in. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Promised Gift from the Judy Glickman Lauder Collection, 6.2018.17
Courtesy Archivio Mario Giacomelli © Simone Giacomelli
JULY 25 - SEPTEMBER 27, 2026
OPENING RECEPTION
Saturday, July 25
Photographs are, as writer Roland Barthes affirms, “certificates of presence”: verification that a moment, a person, or a place existed. From the adoration of a loved one or the wonder felt before nature, to the hardship of labor and the devastation of war, photographs are imprinted by human experience.
Featuring approximately 100 photographs by over 50 artists, this exhibition explores the concept of presence through tender portraits, awe-inspiring landscapes, candid photojournalism, and spontaneous cityscapes. Drawn entirely from the collection of photographer and humanitarian Judy Glickman Lauder, Presence creates a dialogue among an array of photographs by some of the most beloved and influential practitioners of the 20th century, including Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Imogen Cunningham, Danny Lyon, Gordon Parks, James Van Der Zee, and more.
Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and Portland Museum of Art, Maine, and curated by Anjuli Lebowitz, PhD, Judy Glickman Lauder Curator of Photography, Portland Museum of Art, Maine. This exhibition is generously supported by Ellen and Robert Grimes.
James Karales (American, 1930–2002)
Selma to Montgomery March, Alabama, 1965
Gelatin silver print, 12 7/8 x 19 1/8 in.
Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Promised Gift from the Judy Glickman Lauder Collection, 4.2015
© Estate of James Karales, Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York
Steve Schapiro (American, 1934–2022)
Martin Luther King Jr., Selma, Alabama, 1965
Gelatin silver print, 18 7/8 x 12 3/4 in.
Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Promised Gift from the Judy Glickman Lauder Collection, 10.2010.8
© Steve Schapiro. Courtesy MonroeGallery, Sante Fe, NM
Todd Webb (American, 1905–2000)
Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets, New York (detail), 1948
8 gelatin silver prints, 15 1/4 x 15 5/8 in.
Each Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Promised Gift from the Judy Glickman Lauder Collection, 7.2015a-h
© Todd Webb Archive