Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes

The Nasher Museum presented Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes, in the Incubator Gallery, part of The Collection Galleries.

Based in Wilson, North Carolina, Uzzle has photographed the American South for more than five decades, capturing nuanced views in both black and white and color from the mountains to the coast. The 16 photographs selected for this show explore rural life in this region and how southerners have engaged with the landscape over time. This exhibition was part of a collaboration between the Nasher Museum, the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Museum of Art. Each museum presented an exhibition of Uzzle’s photography covering a broad range of subjects from the artist’s extensive career, and each show was on view during the summer of 2016.

One of America’s most highly regarded photographers, Burk Uzzle began his career at age 17 as a staff photographer for The News & Observer in Raleigh. At 23, he became the youngest photographer ever hired by Life magazine. In 1967 he joined the legendary photographic agency Magnum Photos and served two terms as its president. While with Magnum, he shot his seminal images of Woodstock and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s funeral. Since 1984, Uzzle has been an independent artist. His photographs have been published and exhibited widely in the United States and Europe and are represented in many museum collections, including the Nasher’s.

Burk Uzzle, Chicken Lunch, 2011. Archival pigment print, 50 × 40 inches (127 × 101.6 cm). Collection of Jennings Brody and Jonathan Kea. © Burk Uzzle.
Burk Uzzle, Clear Cut Church, North Carolina, 2006. Archival pigment print, 44¼× 52¼ inches (112.4 × 132.7 cm). Courtesy of the artist. © Burk Uzzle.
Burk Uzzle, Pole Parking, Georgia, 2001. Gelatin silver print, 21 13/16 × 17 3/8 inches (55.4 × 44.1 cm). Courtesy of the artist. © Burk Uzzle.
Burk Uzzle, Tire Swing, 2009. Color carbon print, 23 × 29 inches (58.4 × 73.7 cm). Collection of Janet Kagan. © Burk Uzzle.
Burk Uzzle, White Water Nash, 2010. Chromogenic print on aluminum, 60 × 75 inches (152.4 × 190.5 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Gift of Charles Weinraub and Emily Kass in honor of Peter Lange. © Burk Uzzle.

Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Installation view; Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes; May 28–September 25, 2016. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.

Burk Uzzle: Southern Landscapes

Burk Uzzle: Life Behind the Lens