Sol Libsohn (February 5, 1914 - January 21, 2001) was a self-taught, documentary photographer.

Biography

After graduating from

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

, he joined the Film and Photo League where he earned his living documenting paintings. In 1936, he co-founded the Photo League with

Sid Grossman Sid Grossman (June 25, 1913 in Manhattan – December 31, 1955 in Provincetown) was an American photographer, teacher, and social activist. Life Sid Grossman was the younger son of Morris and Ethel Grossman. He attended the City College of ...

.Sol Libsohn bio at The Jewish Museum
/ref> Libsohn was an important teacher at the League as well as a member and leader of numerous production groups. In addition to freelance work for numerous magazines, he also was employed by

Roy Stryker Roy Emerson Stryker (November 5, 1893 – September 27, 1975) was an American economist, government official, and photographer. He headed the Information Division of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) during the Great Depression, and launch ...

for the documentary project of

Standard Oil Company Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co- ...

of New Jersey (later Exxon), the

Federal Art Project The Federal Art Project (1935–1943) was a New Deal program to fund the visual arts in the United States. Under national director Holger Cahill, it was one of five Federal Project Number One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administr ...

, and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...

, where he taught art and photography to disadvantaged youth in the Summer Program. Libsohn was a personal acquaintance of Romana Javitz, head of The New York Public Library’s Picture Collection from 1929 to 1968, who sought out his work for the Library. Libsohn died on January 21, 2001 in Princeton, NJ.

Exhibitions

* ''The Family of Man'', Jan 24–May 8, 1955, The Museum of Modern Art, New York * ''Image of Freedom'', Oct 29, 1941–Feb 1, 1942, The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Collections

* Museum of Modern Art * International Center for Photography * Harvard Art Museums * New York Public Library

References

External links

Sol Libsohn (George Eastman House)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Libsohn, Sol 20th-century American photographers 1914 births 2001 deaths