Larry Sultan at SFMOMA

“Here and Home” at the SFMOMA is the first retrospective exhibition to examine the work and career of California photographer Larry Sultan.

Larry Sultan, Sunset, from the series, Pictures from Home, 1989; chromogenic print. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

This spring the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) presents two photography exhibitions that highlight a pair of artists with different visions and a shared past: Larry Sultan (1946 – 2009) and Mike Mandel (b. 1950).

Top: Larry Sultan, Sunset, from the series, Pictures from Home, 1989; chromogenic print. Above: Larry Sultan, Boxers, Mission Hills, from the series The Valley, 1999; chromogenic print. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel, Oranges on Fire, 1975, photo mural. © Estate of Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

Larry Sultan, Dad with Golf Clubs, from the series Pictures From Home, 1987; chromogenic print. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

Larry Sultan, Discussion, Kitchen Table, from the series Pictures From Home, 1985; chromogenic print. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel, Untitled, from the series Evidence, 1977; gelatin silver print. © Estate of Larry Sultan and © Mike Mandel; photo courtesy Estate of Larry Sultan/Casemore Kirkeby and Mike Mandel/Robert Mann Gallery

Larry Sultan, Sharon Wild, from the series The Valley, 2001; chromogenic print. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

“Larry Sultan: Here and Home” is the first retrospective to examine the work and career of the California photographer. It explores Sultan’s 35-year career, from his early collaborative projects of the 1970s to his own documentary-style photographs. The main themes are home and family, as well as the construction of identity, facade and storytelling. Frequently photographing domestic life and suburban settings, Sultan examines reality, fantasy, longing and displacement throughout his work.

Larry Sultan, Woman in Curlers, from the series The Valley, 2002; chromogenic print; © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo: courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan — Larry Sultan, *Woman in Curlers*, from the series The Valley, 2002, chromogenic print. © Estate of Larry Sultan; courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

Raised in the San Fernando Valley, Sultan moved to Northern California in the early 1970s but continued to draw inspiration from the architecture, atmosphere and attitude of the Southern California of his youth. A lifelong educator, Sultan taught photography at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) for 10 years (1978–88) and the California College of the Arts (CCA) for 20 years (1989–2009), where he served as a Distinguished Professor of Photography.

Larry Sultan, My Mother Posing for Me, from the series Pictures From Home, 1984; chromogenic print. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

Larry Sultan, Business Page, from the series Pictures From Home, 1985; chromogenic print. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

Larry Sultan, Backyard Hercules, from the series Homeland, 2009; chromogenic print; promised gift of Nion McEvoy to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

Larry Sultan, Batting Cage, from the series Homeland, 2007; chromogenic print; promised gift of Michal Venera to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

Larry Sultan, Canal District, San Rafael, from the series Homeland, 2006; chromogenic print; promised gift of Robert Mailer Anderson and Nicola Miner to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

Larry Sultan, Practicing Golf Swing, from the series Pictures from Home, 1986; chromogenic print. © Estate of Larry Sultan; photo courtesy Casemore Kirkeby and Estate of Larry Sultan

until 23 July 2017
Larry Sultan: Here and Home
curated by Sandra S. Phillips
SFMOMA
151 3rd St, San Francisco

Larry Sultan at SFMOMA

“Here and Home” at the SFMOMA is the first retrospective exhibition to examine the work and career of California photographer Larry Sultan.

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