Barbara Levine and Paige Ramey here!
We have been collecting offbeat vernacular photography for nearly 30 years.
We affectionately refer to our collection as PhotoMania to convey the joy
and wonder of the objects and the fascination with which we have built the
collection.
We are happy to announce the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is now home to our
collection!
From Museum of Fine Arts photography curators, Malcolm Daniel and Lisa
Volpe:
“The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is now home to the Barbara Levine and
Paige Ramey Photography Collection, an exceptional cache of prints and
photographic objects that together call attention to the significance of
photography in our everyday lives. Among all the visual arts, photography
has the widest embrace; it is present in a thousand different forms—from the
medium’s humble snapshots, to pinnacles of high art. As a museum that aims
to represent the entire history of photography, we are proud to become the
first institution to acquire more than limited examples of this democratic
form, but an extraordinary vernacular collection in its entirety.
“The Barbara Levine and Paige Ramey Photography Collection was carefully and
thoughtfully curated around a limited number of interwoven themes and
includes unique examples of material that cannot be located in any other
private or public collection. Major themes of the collection include
African-American Studio Portraits, LGBTQ Life, Mexico and the Border,
Altered and Manipulated Photos, Gun Culture, Science and Industry, Women
Only, and Sideshow Stars and Superheroes.”
The collection's over 5,000 images and objects will be digitized and
available on the
museum's website
– Yay! Stay tuned for exciting plans about our future projects with the
museum and beyond!