It has been a great week for viewing photography. Two of the major museums in Minneapolis are showing work of some of the greats of photography.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has just re-opened its photo gallery after a large remodeling project. Their photo collection has been wonderful for as long as I have been going there, but the photos they have on display now are fantastic. They are currently showing some of my all time favorite photographers: Sebastiao Salgado, Arnold Newman, Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Werner Bischoff. (Bischoff is one of my photo heroes--this image is a favorite and on display now!)

The Walker Art Center also has a large showing of Dianne Arbus. The collection is extensive and has some really interesting exhibit pieces about her life and work, including some of her books, contact sheets and cameras. I have to admit I am not a huge fan of Arbus but it was good to see so much of her work in one place; it helped me have a better understanding of how she saw the world. She is a photo-hero for many and I'd like to understand why. It is interesting to see how much of her work seems to be echoed in the work of Lauren Greenfield and Minneapolis photographer Alec Soth (whether these artist would claim her as an influence, I am not sure, but they do seem to have very similar ways of seeing the world).

Having viewed such great work, it is giving me the itch to get out with my camera and make some photos too. Well, a project for next week...