Eugene Richards (born 1944)
Early life and education
Richards was born and grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
He received a BA in English from Northeastern University then studied photography at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, supervised by Minor White.
Life and work
During the 1960s, Richards was a
civil rights activist and
AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) volunteer.
His first book was Few Comforts or Surprises (1973), a depiction of rural poverty in Arkansas. His second book, the self-published Dorchester Days (1978), set in Dorchester, Massachusetts is "an angry, bitter book", both political and personal.[Gerry Badger, in Martin Parr and Gerry Badger, The Photobook: A History, vol. 2 (London: Phaidon, 2006; ), 30.] Gerry Badger writes that "Richards's involvement with the people he is photographing is total, and he is one of the best of photojournalists in getting that across, often helped by his own prose".
Richards founded Many Voices Press to publish his books, beginning with Dorchester Days.
Publications
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Few Comforts or Surprises: The Arkansas Delta. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1973. .
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Dorchester Days.
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Wollaston, MA: self-published / Many Voices, 1978.
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Second edition, revised and expanded. London: Phaidon Press, 2000. . With an introduction by Dorothea Lynch and an afterword by Richards.
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50 Hours. New York: Many Voices, 1983. . With Dorothea Lynch.
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Exploding into Life. New York: Aperture in association with Many Voices, 1986. . With Dorothea Lynch.
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Below the Line: Living Poor in America. Mount Vernon, NY: Consumers Union, 1987. (paperback); (hardback). Text ed. Christiane Bird, story researched by Janine Altongy.
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The Knife and Gun Club: Scenes from an Emergency Room. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 1989. . 2nd ed. 1995.
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With Edward Barnes. Cocaine True, Cocaine Blue. New York: Aperture, 1994. (hardback), (paperback). New York: Aperture, 1996. .
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Americans We: Photographs and Notes. New York: Aperture, 1994. .
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Eugene Richards. Photo Poche series. Paris: Nathan, 1997. .
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Eugene Richards. Phaidon 55 series. London and New York: Phaidon, 2001. Text by Charles Bowden.
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Stepping through the Ashes. New York: Aperture, 2002. . With interviews by Janine Altongy.
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The Fat Baby. London: Phaidon, 2004. .
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A Procession of Them. University of Texas Press, 2008. .
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The Blue Room. 2008. .
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War Is Personal. 2010. .
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Red Ball of a Sun Slipping Down. New York: Many Voices, 2014. .
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The Day I Was Born. New York: Many Voices, 2020. Edition of 1000 copies.
Exhibitions
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The Blue Room, Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France, 2009
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Eugene Richards: The Run-On of Time, George Eastman Museum, Rochester, New York, 2017;
Awards
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1981: W. Eugene Smith Grant from the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund.
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1987: Infinity Award: Photojournalism award from the International Center of Photography, New York, for Below The Line: Living Poor in America
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1995: Infinity Award: Publication award, from the International Center of Photography, New York for Americans We
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2014: Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism, Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Collections
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Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts: 23 prints (as of 5 January 2022)
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Centre Pompidou, Paris: 4 prints (as of 5 January 2022)
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Fogg Museum, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts: 6 prints (as of 5 January 2022)
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Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago: 2 prints (as of 4 January 2022)
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Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts: 4 prints (as of 5 January 2022)
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Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri: 26 prints (as of 5 January 2022)
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Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.: 4 prints (as of 5 January 2022)
Videos of Richards
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Lassiter, Kenneth T., Gary Bechtold, et al. Techniques of the Masters (videoconference, April 18, 1991). 1991.
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Richards, Eugene. Eugene Richards Photographer of the Year. Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak Company, 1991.
External links
