Neorealism and Photography

In conjunction with the exhibition NeoRealismo: The New Image in Italy, 1932–1960

While the term “neorealism” is primarily associated with cinema and literature, photography was also involved in the wider turn toward social and humanist themes in Italy in the 1940s and ’50s. Photography documented the war’s impact and the conditions of ordinary Italians in the postwar years—and made these visible through touring exhibitions, illustrated magazines, and photobooks.

Speakers will examine the new types of photographic images that emerged in those years, consider the relations between photography and cinema, and assess the validity of the concept of neorealism in photography.

Featuring:
Maria Antonella Pelizzari, CUNY
Enrica Viganò, Admira, Milan, curator of NeoRealismo

Moderated by Ara Merjian, NYU

Co-sponsored by Grey Art Gallery.

Followed by the exhibition’s opening reception.