Contact Sheet 136:
Suzanne Opton

Description

This catalogue features the work of renowned photographer Suzanne Opton. Her series Soldier depicts thought-provoking, yet subtle portraits that present a different impression of the war in Iraq by giving viewers a rare close-up look at some of the men and women who have served their country. Opton describes that “In making these portraits of soldiers, I simply wanted to look in the face of someone who’d seen something unforgettable.” She photographed soldiers who recently served a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan and who were receiving additional training at Fort Drum in Upstate New York at the time. The images range from traditional portraiture to very modern close-ups of the heads.

This catalogue includes an essay by renowned photo critic and author Vicki Goldberg.

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Suzanne Opton’s work has been exhibited internationally, and is featured in the permanent collections of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France in Paris; the Musee de’Elysee in Lausanne, Switzerland; and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. She has received grants from the Vermont Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Opton’s work has appeared in a variety of publications including Orion, The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, and Fortune. Opton teaches at the International Center of Photography and the Cooper Union. She participated in Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence program in September 2005.

www.suzanneopton.com

Vicki Goldberg is the author or co-author of many books and articles, including Light Matters, American Photography: A Century of Images, The Power of Photography: How Photographs Changed Our Lives, and Margaret Bourke-White: A Biography. She lives in New York City.