Photographer Nicholas Nixon (left to right) “Self, Albuquerque” & “Self, Brookline” © Nicholas Nixon from his recent book About Forty Years. |
“The Brown Sisters” photo series by Nicholas Nixon: Heather, Mimi, Bebe & Laura Year 1975 left & 2013 right |
ART
Nicholas Nixon’s
Photography
“The Brown Sisters”
Documenting how one family of Baby Boomers has changed over the years.
We can all relate to aging.
“The Brown Sisters” in years 1975 & 2013 (left to right) |
For 39 years Nicholas Nixon took a documentary picture of his wife Bebe and her three sisters. “The Brown Sisters” is the title of this exhibition series. His wife and her sisters were photographed in the same order, from left to right every year: Heather, Mimi, Bebe & Laura. These photographs capture an illusive concept “the passage of time.”
Nixon consistently used large, unwieldy cameras, with negatives measuring 8 x 10 inches or 11 x 14 inches to capture the precise, compelling detail of each face. In “The Brown Sisters”, his clear-eyed portraits show us a feeling of intimacy only a person of trust could capture.
As viewers we wonder about the many aspects of life revealed in these faces? As life has progressed what has each of these individuals experienced over the years? One of the great aspects of art is: the viewer is allowed to ask and answer their own questions.
The Brown Sisters, 1975
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The Brown Sisters, Harwichport, Mass, 1978
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The Brown Sisters, Truro, Mass, 1984
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The Brown Sisters, Allston, Mass, 1985
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The Brown Sisters, Cambridge, Mass, 1986
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The Brown Sisters, Woodstock, Vermont, 1990
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The Brown Sisters, Watertown, Mass 1991
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The Brown Sisters, Wellesley Hills, Mass 1997
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The Brown Sisters, Brookline, Mass, 1999
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The Brown Sisters, Boston, 2012
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Nicholas Nixon’s recent book titled: About Forty Years, was published by Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco. It features 100 exquisitely reproduced images and well written text about his expansive contributions to photography.
Until later,