Exemplary architecture abounds around the world, but most of us never get to experience these legendary projects in person. Fortunately, many are captured and presented to us via photographs, often through the lens of talented artists. In November, the National Building Museum (NBM) will turn the spotlight on one such artist with Alan Karchmer: The Architects' Photographer, an exhibition that will also examine the larger scope of architectural photography, according to NBM's press release.
Open to the public on Nov. 9, the exhibition follows a bequest Karchmer, AIA, made to NBM this past January, giving his professional archives to the museum and establishing the Alan Karchmer and Sandra Benedum Photographic Archive. Benedum is Karchmer's longtime collaborator, photo stylist, and wife.
NBM's curators culled Karchmer's iconic architectural images for the upcoming show, which will feature projects by Santiago Calatrava, FAIA, Tadao Ando, H.FAIA, SmithGroup, and TEN Arquitectos, among others. In addition to the architectural prints, the exhibition will include other work by Karchmer, including a selection of commissioned work and personal photographs, which will give visitors a broader understanding of the photographer's portfolio and vision.
After receiving his M.Arch. from Tulane University in 1978, Karchmer turned his design eye and knowledge to photography, studying and framing buildings instead of creating them. Since 1990, Karchmer has worked out of Washington, D.C., publishing his work in journals and exhibiting in venues, including NBM, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, and the Julius Shulman Institute, in Burbank, Calif. Over the decades, Karchmer earned recognition for his ability to capture the architect's intention with each photo he takes.
NBM's exhibition will be run from Nov. 9 to Oct. 8, 2020.
