Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks was a pioneering American photographer, filmmaker, writer, and artist whose work deeply influenced both the art world and the fight for social justice. From the 1940s through the early 2000s, he used his creative talents to document everyday life in America, focusing on issues of race, poverty, and civil rights. His diverse artistic range spanned from composing music to writing novels and even directing films. As a black man growing up in Fort Scott, Kansas, Parks experienced racial segregation and poverty firsthand. He discovered photography after seeing images of Depression-era workers in a magazine and, with no formal training in the field, purchased a used camera and began his self-taught career. His remarkable talent earned him a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1942, which led to his working with prominent government agencies like the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and the Office of War Information (OWI), developing a unique perspective driven by empathy and exposing injustice. Parks believed the camera could be used as a weapon against inequality. His early images highlighting the black experience and poor communities helped break racial barriers in the field of photography.

In 1948, Parks created a photo essay on a Harlem gang leader, which gained national attention and led to him being hired as Life magazine’s first black photographer. For the next two decades, he captured powerful portraits of civil rights leaders, artists, and also everyday citizens. His most famous images, including Emerging Man, 1952 and American Gothic, 1942, communicate society’s most pressing issues with simple, instantly comprehendible imagery. In addition to photography, Parks made history in film. In 1969, he became the first African American to direct a major Hollywood studio film called The Learning Tree, based on his own novel. His second film Shaft (1971) became an instant cultural phenomenon and was eventually developed into a trilogy. Throughout his career, Parks continued to create across disciplines and remained engaged in social commentary until his death in 2006. Today, his work is preserved in major institutions like The Gordon Parks Foundation, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian, standing as a lasting testament to his artistic vision and commitment to social justice.

GORDON PARKS (1912-2006)

American Gothic, Washington D.C., 1942

GORDON PARKS (1912-2006)

Ingrid Bergman at Stromboli, Italy, 1949

GORDON PARKS (1912–2006)

Emerging Man, Harlem, New York (from Invisible Man ), 1952

GORDON PARKS (1912-2006)

Left Bank, Paris, c. 1956

GORDON PARKS (1912-2006)

Marilyn Monroe, c. 1959

GORDON PARKS (1912-2006)

Place de la Concorde, Paris, France, 1950

GORDON PARKS (1912–2006)

Dove, 1962

GORDON PARKS (1912-2006)

Augusta, Maine, 1944

GORDON PARKS (1912-2006)

Marilyn Monroe (Looking over shoulder), c. 1959

Gordon Parks (1912-2006)

Place de la Concorde , Paris, vers 1950

Gordon Parks (1912-2006)

Vendeuse de ballons, Paris, vers 1950

Gordon Parks (1912-2006)

Foule rue Mouffetard , Paris, vers 1950

GORDON PARKS (1912-2006)

Fashion, Paris, 1949

GORDON PARKS (1912–2006)

Untitled, from The Rainmaker, c. 1954