Hugh Edwards had a great impact on artists and students early in their careers. In new interviews, preeminent photographers reflect on the curator’s understanding of photography, support for their work, and influence on the field. A link below also takes listeners to the only known audio recording of Edwards. Click here to read more about Edwards.
Danny Lyon, Good By from Friends, November 1985 and August 1986, printed 1987. © Danny Lyon. Courtesy Gavin Brown Enterprises
In September 1972, over the course of three days, Danny Lyon interviewed Hugh Edwards in his Hyde Park apartment. This remains the only known recording of Edwards. Click here to be taken to Lyon’s website and hear a clip from this interview.
A pioneer in the use of color in fine art photography, particularly instant Polacolor, Cosindas was granted a show by Edwards in 1967. In these reminiscences, she recalls him as a close friend. Interviewed in Boston, April 13, 2017. Listen here.
Davidson, recognized for documentary series characterized by intense engagement with his subjects, exhibited his photographs at the Art Institute in the winter of 1965. He remembers Edwards as a soul-searcher who understood the struggle of a young photographer. Interviewed in New York on February 1, 2017. Listen here.
In 1961, when controversy still swirled around Frank’s book The Americans, Edwards gave the photographer his first one-man exhibition and acquired thirty of his photographs. Interviewed in New York, May 5, 2016. Frank recalls Edwards’s understanding of photography: Listen here.Frank reads from a letter and the press release for his exhibition: Listen here.
Kenneth Josephson had just finished his studies at the Institute of Design under Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind when Edwards acquired ten of his photographs. He discusses Edwards’s early support of his work and his intense interest in cinema. Interviewed in Chicago, May 1, 2017. Listen here.
Known for narrative sequences that play with photographic meaning in uncanny ways, Michals displayed portraits and scenes from Empty New York at the museum in 1968. Here, he describes Edwards’s authenticity and impact on artists. Interviewed in New York, October 22, 2016. Listen here.
Snyder, now a professor of the history of photography, met Edwards while a student at the University of Chicago and became a regular visitor to the museum’s study room; he discusses Edwards’s erudition and impact on the Art Institute’s collection. Interviewed in Chicago, August 24, 2016. Listen here.
Charles Swedlund experimented with color photography following his graduation from the Institute of Design; Edwards mounted an exhibition of his work in 1963. Here, he recalls Edwards’s warmth and the knowledge he gained viewing prints with him. Interviewed in Chicago, April 19, 2017. Listen here.
