"The Bitter Years is the last exhibition famous photographer Edward Steichen curated as the Director of the Photography Department of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. It is a testimony to documentary photography, featuring over 200 images from one of the largest collective projects in the history of photography: the documentation of rural America during the Great Depression by the Farm Security Administration (FSA).
Fifty years after its opening at MoMA, The Bitter Years has now found a permanent home in Dudelange, Luxembourg, on the site of a former steel mill, in the stunning Waassertuerm gallery, an old water tower, next to the Centre national de l'audiovisuel (CNA).
Within the Farm Security Administration, a historical section is documenting the appalling situation in rural America with the help of a group of photographers. This documentary mission is headed by Roy Stryker, an economist from Columbia University in New York. Over eight years, from 1935 to 1943, the group produces over 250.000 negatives and prints that become emblematic for the Great Depression in the United States.
The FSA file is unique in the history of photography: not only is it the first time that photography is used in such a systematic way to establish an inventory of a situation, but this "great visual encyclopedia of America" is also the largest collective photographic project undertaken by a government administration."
Fifty years after its opening at MoMA, The Bitter Years has now found a permanent home in Dudelange, Luxembourg, on the site of a former steel mill, in the stunning Waassertuerm gallery, an old water tower, next to the Centre national de l'audiovisuel (CNA).
Within the Farm Security Administration, a historical section is documenting the appalling situation in rural America with the help of a group of photographers. This documentary mission is headed by Roy Stryker, an economist from Columbia University in New York. Over eight years, from 1935 to 1943, the group produces over 250.000 negatives and prints that become emblematic for the Great Depression in the United States.
The FSA file is unique in the history of photography: not only is it the first time that photography is used in such a systematic way to establish an inventory of a situation, but this "great visual encyclopedia of America" is also the largest collective photographic project undertaken by a government administration."
Practical Details:
"The Bitter Years" Photography Exhibit
Housed in the Waassertuerm Gallery 1 Rue du Centenaire, Dudelange Student Price (under 21): FREE! Opening Hours: CLOSED January & February Monday - Tuesday: Closed Wednesday : 12 - 18 Thursday: 12 - 22 Friday - Sunday: 12 - 18 Getting There by Train: From Differdange, take Line 60 towards Luxembourg City Transfer at the "Bettembourg" Stop Take Line 60 towards "Volmerange-les-Mines" Get off at the "Dudelange-Centre" Stop |