Milton Rogovin (1901–2011) was proud to call himself a “social-documentary photographer.” For more than four decades, he photographed those whom he referred to as “the forgotten ones.” He was working as an optometrist in Manhattan in the early 1930s when he became increasingly involved in leftist causes. Distressed by the rampant social upheaval and widespread poverty caused by the Great Depression, Rogovin attended night classes sponsored by the New York Workers School and became an advocate for social equity. He read the Communist Party newspaper The Daily Worker and was introduced to the socialdocumentary photographs of Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine. In 1957, he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, whose hearings had led to the blacklisting and public persecution of many artists. A year later, he devoted himself fulltime to photography: his art became the vehicle for his egalitarian ideals.
Drawn entirely from the permanent collection of the San Jose Museum of Art, this exhibition presents thirty-eight photographs from three series: “Lower West Side, Buffalo” (1972–84), “Working People” (1976–87), and “Family of Miners” (1988– 89). Rogovin shed light on important social issues of the time: the plight of miners; the decline of the once-robust steel industry in upstate New York; the everyday struggles of the poor and working class in Buffalo, New York, where he lived. Life and Labor marks the public debut of these photographs, which were gifted to the Museum’s collection in 2011. Rogovin often grouped his pictures into diptychs and triptychs to produce compelling narratives of the people he photographed. He believed deeply in photography’s ability to be an agent of social change. In addition to their aesthetic value, Rogovin’s photographs serve as important records of the changing workingclass neighborhoods and multi-ethnic communities he documented over the course of many decades, until well into his 90s. Rogovin’s powerful and provocative portraits raise questions that remain equally prescient today, amid current concerns over employment and income gaps.
Milton Rogovin
Life and Labor
August 18, 2016 – March 17, 2017
San Jose Museum of Art
110 S Market St San Jose, CA 95113
sjmusart.org
Milton Rogovin Untitled, from the series “Working People: Atlas Steel, Frank Andrzewski,” 1978–1979 Gelatin silver print on paper 10 × 8 inches Gift of Dr. Philip Greider
Milton Rogovin Untitled, from the series, “Working People: Atlas, Jose,” 1976 Gelatin silver print on paper 10 × 8 inches Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jon Vein
Milton Rogovin Untitled, from the series, “Lower West Side, Buffalo, Felix & Wife,” 1985 Gelatin silver print on paper 10 × 8 inches Gift of Dr. Philip Greider 2011.16.34_rogovinmilton_triptychuntitledseriesworkingpeopleford_fv.jpg Milton Rogovin Untitled, from the series, “Working People: Ford,” 1977–1978 Gelatin silver print on paper 10 × 8 inches Gift of Dr. Philip Greider 2011.16.26_rogovinmilton_diptychuntitledseriesfamilyofminersmexico_fv.jpg Milton Rogovin Untitled, from the series, “Family of Miners: Mexico,” 1988 Gelatin silver print on paper 10 × 8 inches Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Braunstein 2011.16.30_rogovinmilton_diptychuntitledserieslowerwestsidebuffalopiraino_fv.jpg Milton Rogovin Untitled, from the series, “Lower West Side, Buffalo, Piraino,” 1984 Gelatin silver print on paper 10 × 8 inches Gift of Dr. Philip Greider
Milton Rogovin Untitled, from the series, “Working People: Ford,” 1977–1978 Gelatin silver print on paper 10 × 8 inches Gift of Dr. Philip Greider
Milton Rogovin Untitled, from the series, “Family of Miners: Mexico,” 1988 Gelatin silver print on paper 10 × 8 inches Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Braunstein
Milton Rogovin Untitled, from the series, “Lower West Side, Buffalo, Piraino,” 1984 Gelatin silver print on paper 10 × 8 inches Gift of Dr. Philip Greider
Milton Rogovin Untitled, from the series, “Lower West Side, Buffalo, Felix & Wife,” 1974 Gelatin silver print on paper 10 × 8 inches Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jon Vein
