Now through October 13, 2013, San Diego's Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) celebrates its 30th anniversary with the unique retrospective, 30x: Three Decades, featuring one acquisition from each year of the museum's existence. This flowing time capsule along gallery walls includes works by Alexander Rodchenko, Lee Friedlander, Loretta Lux, and many more.
| Located in San Diego's Balboa Park, MOPA began as a non-profit called "The Center for Photographic Arts." The first piece to grace its walls was a photograph by W. Eugene Smith titled, "Pittsburgh: Smoky City, Steel Plant." The museum opened three days later on May 1, 1983. (See video below, MOPA's first exhibition.) MOPA is a center for visual learning, passionately dedicated to sharing and exploring the universal language of photography. Their permanent collection now boasts works from every corner of photographic history, from the early days of daguerreotype to the current digital medium. By curating creative pieces as well as works of photojournalism, MOPA allows visitors to pull topical meaning from the former and accidental beauty from the latter, fusing the two as art. |  Loretta Lux German, b, 1969 The Drummer 2004 ilfochrome print on paper |
MOPA's non-profit roots, community involvement, and reverence for photojournalism are evident in its mission statement:
Although art objects are carefully preserved within the museum space, the collection as a whole is held by the public, representing who we are and what we value as a culture.
MOPA Permanent Collection
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The museum backs up this claim by including works of photomontage by British artist John Heartfield, who fought Nazi propaganda with brutal images of resistance. Likewise, American photographs by Dorothea Lange capture the desperation and resilience of the Great Depression in the lines around a tan farmer's eyes. Works by press photographer, Weegee, also known as Arthur Fellig, capture the stark violence of New York's Lower East Side in the 1930s and '40s. Thanks to museums such as MOPA, his everyday newspaper shots were recognized for their brilliance in capturing the polarities of human nature.
Visit MOPA through October 13 to experience not only a wide swath of photographic history, but the crux of its soul as well.
Visit MOPA through October 13 to experience not only a wide swath of photographic history, but the crux of its soul as well.
| Museum of Photographic Arts 1649 El Prado San Diego, CA 92101 Museum & Store Hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Summer Hours: Thursday: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm, Memorial Day - Labor Day |
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