Observer: The Street Photographs of Norman S. Carr

Observer: The Street Photographs of Norman S. Carr presents black-and-white and color photographs made by Norman S. Carr in Washington, DC and in locations across the United States and abroad. The exhibition examines street life, reflections, place, perception, and the transformation of ordinary moments into layered studies of everyday experience.

Carr began photographing in 2000 after a 40-year career as a lawyer, bringing to the medium the visual sensibility he had developed as a collector of important 20th-century American photography. He was especially interested in the spatial and emotional complexity created by reflections, which became a defining feature of his style and evokes aspects of Cubism and Surrealism. His black-and-white photographs date from 2000 to 2004; beginning in 2005, he worked primarily in color, using light and hue with an expressive, painterly approach.

When: September 5–December 6

Venue: American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

Presented by: The Alper Initiative for Washington Art

Artist: Norman S. Carr (1936–2025)

Curator: Carolyn Kinder Carr

Works featured: The exhibition includes works such as *Convention Center Construction—Washington, D.C.* (2002), an iris print measuring 29¾ by 26¾ inches; *Peyote—Mexico City* (2003), a gelatin silver print measuring 19¼ by 12⅞ inches; and *Rest—Miami Beach, Florida* (2003), a gelatin silver print measuring 19 by 13¼ inches.

Gallery talk: “Gallery Talk: Observer” takes place Saturday, October 17, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Catalog: An exhibition catalog is available to read or download online.

Tickets: Price not available