Biography

Barbara Morgan was an acknowledged pioneer in photography. Born Barbara Brooks Johnson in 1900 in Kansas, Morgan studied painting and printmaking at the University of California. Upon graduation, she became an artist and a teacher at U.C.L.A. advocating modern art. From 1923 through 1929 Morgan exhibited regularly in museums throughout California. In 1925 she married the noted photo?historian Willard D. Morgan, who encouraged her to become involved in photography. The Morgans moved to New York in 1930, and Barbara Morgan's interest in photography took hold.

In 1935 Morgan attended performances by Martha Graham and began her long association with dance photography. Morgan developed a relationship with Graham that would last some 60 years. Her documentation of American modern dance is a significant legacy of an emergent dance form

Utilizing a wide range of experimental techniques, Morgan strove to portray the essential qualities of her subject matter. Her explorations with photomontage and light drawings were unique to the American photography of her time. Especially important to Morgan's aesthetics was her belief in the social role of art.

Barbara Morgan died in 1992. There are numerous books and articles about her life and work. Her photographs have been exhibited in prestigious museums world?wide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, International Center of Photography, New York, and Kunsthaus, Zurich.