July 8th 2023.
The late photographer Brian Lanker's remarkable collection of portraits of iconic African American women is now on display at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Titled "I Dream a World: Selections From Brian Lanker’s Portraits of Remarkable Black Women," Lanker captured the vulnerability of some of the world's most iconic Black women.
Lanker's collection consists of portraits of the glamorous Lena Horne, beloved actress Cicely Tyson, tennis player Althea Gibson, singer Odetta, and talk show host Oprah Winfrey. The portraits are a stunning tribute to the timelessness of these remarkable women, portrayed without fear or inhibitions.
The exhibit is based on Lanker's book, I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America, which was published more than three decades ago. In the book, Lanker wrote, “I felt the need to prevent these historical lives from being forgotten. Many of the women opened ‘the doors,’ and many advanced America through the modern civil rights and women’s movement.”
The book consists of 75 portraits, a selection of which can be seen at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery through August 27, 2023. The black-and-white images are displayed on the second level of the Smithsonian, alongside the "One Life: Frederick Douglass" exhibition.
Brian Lanker's collection of portraits of iconic African American women is a beautiful tribute to the importance of these women in history. His work captures their vulnerability and timelessness, and serves as a reminder of the impact they have had on our society.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
