Charles Sheeler

Charles Sheeler (1883-1965) is recognized as one of the founders of American modernism and one of the master photographers of the 20th century, yet his photographs have been exhibited far less often than those of his contemporaries Alfred Stieglitz and Paul Strand. The MFA?s show?The Photography of Charles Sheeler: American Modernist?is the first major exhibition to feature the whole range of his photographic oeuvre and will have venues at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Related Topics:
1883 - 1965 - American modernism - Photographer - 20th century - Alfred Stieglitz - Paul Strand - Metropolitan Museum of Art - Detroit Institute of Arts

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Sheeler was also a painter in a way that complemented his photography. He was a precisionist who painted very accurate works while leaving out people and other organic structures for the most part. He was hired by the Ford Motor Co. to paint their factory.

Related Topics:
Precisionist - Ford Motor Co.

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Born in Philadelphia, he first studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. And, in 1909, he went to Paris, just when the popularity of Cubism was skyrocketing. Returning to the United States, he realized he would not be able to make a living with Modernist painting. So, he took up commercial photography--particularly architectural pictures. He was a self-taught photographer, learning his trade on a $5 box Brownie.

Related Topics:
Philadelphia - Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts - 1909 - Paris - Cubism - Modernist

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Sheeler rented a farmhouse in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, about 39 miles outside of Philadelphia. He shared this place with artist Morton Schamberg. He was so fond of the home's 19th Century stove that he called it his "companion" and made it a subject of his photographs.

Related Topics:
Doylestown - Morton Schamberg

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