An influential figure in mid-twentieth century photography, Lisette Model redefined documentary photography through her direct, honest portrayal of the human character. Candidly capturing peculiarities of average people, she registered the physical and emotional impact of modern life. Lisette Model's work was included in the 1940 inaugural photography exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, inspiring other photographers to challenge some of the prevailing conventions of the time.
The work of Model is currently on view in a comprehensive show at the Boca Raton Museum of Art. Titled Lisette Model: Photographs from the Canadian Photography Institute of the National Gallery of Canada, the exhibition brings together a selection of works from the collection of 293 prints from the Canadian Photography Institute of the National Gallery of Canada.
Although Model's career spans almost 50 years, from 1934 to 1983, the works selected for this show reflect only the most significant stages of her career, from her early social documentary photographs taken on the streets of Paris and Nice in the early 1930s through to her later New York work.
