A woman in a red dress looking directly at the camera.

Danny Lyon, Tesca, Cartagena, Colombia, 1966. Cibachrome, printed 2008. Image 25.7 x 25.7 cm (10 1/8 x 10 1/8 in.). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A woman in a red dress looking directly at the camera.

Danny Lyon: Message to the Future
June 17–Sept 25, 2016

Danny Lyon: Message to the Future is the first comprehensive retrospective of the career of Danny Lyon (b. 1942) to be presented in twenty-five years. The exhibition is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and will premiere at the Whitney in June 2016 before traveling to San Francisco.

The exhibition assembles approximately 175 photographs and related films and ephemera to highlight Lyon’s concern with social and political issues and the welfare of individuals considered by many to be on the margins of society. The presentation includes many objects that have seldom or never been exhibited before and offers a rare look at works from Lyon’s archives alongside important loans from major public and private collections in the United States. This is also the first exhibition to assess the artist’s achievements as a filmmaker.

A leading figure in the American street photography movement of the 1960s, Lyon has distinguished himself by the personal intimacy he establishes with his subjects and the inventiveness of his practice. With his ability to find beauty in the starkest reality, Lyon has through his work provided a charged alternative to the bland vision of American life often depicted in the mass media.

Danny Lyon: Message to the Future is organized by Julian Cox, Chief Curator and Founding Curator of Photography, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) and Chief Curator at the de Young Museum. The installation at the Whitney Museum is overseen by Elisabeth Sussman, Curator and Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography.

Danny Lyon: Message to the Future is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in collaboration with the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. 

Generous support is provided by the Henry Peterson Foundation and an anonymous donor.

Artworks

The artist Danny Lyon holds a camera for a self portrait.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Self-portrait, New Orleans, 1964. Vintage gelatin silver print. 7 3/16 × 4 13/16 in. (18.2 × 12.2 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

The artist Danny Lyon holds a camera for a self portrait.
A woman poses in a button down shirt and shorts.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Kathy, Uptown, Chicago, 1965. Vintage gelatin silver print. 9 1/2 × 9 3/8 in. (24.1 × 23.9 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A woman poses in a button down shirt and shorts.
A man rides a motorcycle over a bridge.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942, Crossing the Ohio River, Louisville, 1966. Vintage gelatin silver print. 8 × 12 1/2 in. (20.3 × 31.8 cm). Silverman Museum Collection. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A man rides a motorcycle over a bridge.
A man sits on a motorcycle with several other photos of people surrounding him.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Self-portrait, Chicago, 1965. Gelatin silver prints montage. 12 1/4 × 10 15/16 in. (31.2 × 27.8 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A man sits on a motorcycle with several other photos of people surrounding him.
The interior of a car with a woman standing right outside the driver's seat window.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Leslie, Downtown Knoxville, 1967. Vintage gelatin silver print. 11 1/4 × 7 1/2 in. (28.7 × 19.1 cm). Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Mr. Danny Lyon. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

The interior of a car with a woman standing right outside the driver's seat window.
Two men looking into a mirror, one holding a camera.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Mark Di Suvero and Danny Lyon, Hyde Park, Chicago, 1965. Vintage gelatin silver print. 8 × 10 in. Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

Two men looking into a mirror, one holding a camera.
John Lennon sits in a chair and holds a camera while another man stands next to him.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), John Lennon and Danny Seymour, The Bowery, New York, 1969. Gelatin silver print; printed later. 11 × 14 in. Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

John Lennon sits in a chair and holds a camera while another man stands next to him.
A woman lies back in bed with a vinyl record near her legs.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Pumpkin Reneé, Galveston, Texas, 1967. Vintage gelatin silver print. 6 1/2 × 9 1/4 in. (16.1 × 23.5 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A woman lies back in bed with a vinyl record near her legs.
A man without a shirt gets a tattoo in a tattoo parlor.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Bill Sanders, Tattoo Artist, Houston, Texas, 1968. Vintage gelatin silver print. 8 3/16 × 8 3/16 in. (20.7 × 20.7 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A man without a shirt gets a tattoo in a tattoo parlor.
A man being pat down by a police officer.

Danny Lyon, Shakedown at Ellis Unit, Texas, 1968. Vintage gelatin silver print. 8 1/2 × 12 1/4 in. (21.6 × 31.3 cm). Museum of Modern Art. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A man being pat down by a police officer.
Two shirtless men in a small room with brick walls, one of them lifting a barbell.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Weight lifters, Ramsey Unit, Texas, 1968. Vintage gelatin silver print. 7/8 × 13 1/16 in. (image). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

Two shirtless men in a small room with brick walls, one of them lifting a barbell.
A woman standing on the side of a road with text as a border.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Stephanie, Sandoval County, New Mexico, 1970. Vintage gelatin silver print (decorated). 11 × 14 in. (27.9 × 35.6 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A woman standing on the side of a road with text as a border.
Four men in hats look in the same direction.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Maricopa County, Arizona, 1977. Vintage gelatin silver print. 9 × 13 3/16 in. (22.8 × 33.5 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

Four men in hats look in the same direction.
A woman in a red dress looks at the camera.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Tesca, Cartagena, Colombia, 1966. Cibachrome, printed 2008. 10 1/8 × 10 1/8 in. (25.7 × 25.7 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A woman in a red dress looks at the camera.
Double images stacked on top of each other of a man's face.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Juan Darias, Colombia, 1975. Vintage gelatin silver print from film still. 5 5/8 × 4 1/4 in. (14.3 × 10.8 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

Double images stacked on top of each other of a man's face.
A police officer holds a gun while a woman walks in front of him.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Haiti, 1987. Gelatin silver prints montage. 22 7/8 × 22 7/8 in. (58.2 × 58.2 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A police officer holds a gun while a woman walks in front of him.
An abandoned house in the middle of a field.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Abandoned homestead, Corson County, South Dakota, 2000. Vintage gelatin silver print. 14 9/16 × 17 7/8 in. (37.1 × 45.1 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

An abandoned house in the middle of a field.
Three women in a tent and one woman just outside the tent smoking.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Occupy Oakland, City Hall, Oakland, 2011. Archival pigment print. 9 3/4 × 13 in. (24.6 × 33 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

Three women in a tent and one woman just outside the tent smoking.
A cop with his back to the camera faces a group of young protesters on the street.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Occupy Demonstration on Broadway, Los Angeles, 2011. Digital inkjet print. 13 × 15 3/4 in. Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

A cop with his back to the camera faces a group of young protesters on the street.
Nine photos of the Southwest aligned, three in each row.

Danny Lyon (b. 1942), Powwow (New Mexico, South Dakota, and Arizona), 1997. SX-70 Polaroids. 11 1/16 × 10 1/2 in. (28 × 26.5 cm). Collection of the artist. © Danny Lyon, courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

Nine photos of the Southwest aligned, three in each row.

Videos

Events

A woman in a red dress looking directly at the camera.

Audio Guides

Listen to commentary from scholars Elisabeth Sussman, Todd Gitlin, Julian Cox, and artist Danny Lyon on selected works in the exhibition Danny Lyon: Message to the Future.

Listen now

Installation Photography

A photo collage by Danny Lyon on the wall of his exhibit at the Whitney Museum.

Installation view of Danny Lyon: Message to the Future (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, June 17–September 25, 2016). Photograph by Ron Amstutz

A photo collage by Danny Lyon on the wall of his exhibit at the Whitney Museum.
A series of photos by Danny Lyon on the wall of his exhibit.

Installation view of Danny Lyon: Message to the Future (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, June 17–September 25, 2016). Photograph by Ron Amstutz

A series of photos by Danny Lyon on the wall of his exhibit.
Five photos by Danny Lyon on the wall of a gallery.

Installation view of Danny Lyon: Message to the Future (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, June 17–September 25, 2016). Photograph by Ron Amstutz

Five photos by Danny Lyon on the wall of a gallery.
A series of five photos on the wall of the works of Danny Lyon.

Installation view of Danny Lyon: Message to the Future (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, June 17–September 25, 2016). Photograph by Ron Amstutz

A series of five photos on the wall of the works of Danny Lyon.
Photos on the wall in a gallery during an exhibition by Danny Lyon.

Installation view of Danny Lyon: Message to the Future (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, June 17–September 25, 2016). Photograph by Ron Amstutz

Photos on the wall in a gallery during an exhibition by Danny Lyon.
Whitney exhibition catalogs in a stack.

Shop the Exhibition

Visit the online shop to buy Whitney catalogues, exhibition-inspired gifts, and more.

Shop now

In the News

"Danny Lyon's Drama of Solitude"
—The Nation

"Danny Lyon's Camera Seeks Truth in Marginalized Lives"
—New York Times

"The Whitney Launches Major Retrospective of Danny Lyon—in Pictures"
—The Guardian

"A Photographer on the Margins"
—The Wall Street Journal

"Come for the Photos, Stay for the Films: Danny Lyon at the Whitney"
—Vogue

"A Rare Look at the Work of Danny Lyon, a Leading Figure in the American Street Photography Movement of the 1960s"
—Widewalls

"Message to the Future brings together vintage prints and never–before-seen films from the artist’s collection."
—American Photo


"Why Danny Lyon’s Iconic Civil Rights Era Photographs are More Relevant Than Ever"
—Vice

"The Freedom to Be Danny Lyon"
—New York Times Lens Blog

"Danny Lyon's Immersive Art"
—Blouin Art Info

"Comprised of 175 photographs, films, and related objects, this show dives deeply into the social and political focuses of one of the leading American street photographers in the 1960s."
—ARTnews

"Danny Lyon—Soul of a Radical"
—British Journal of Photography

"Danny Lyon Slows Life Down in Potent Images and Films"
—The Village Voice

"What I Couldn’t Say Myself"
—The New York Review of Books


"Year in Culture 2016: The Ten Best Art Shows of 2016"
—New York Magazine

"Outsiders Fill Compelling Danny Lyon Show"
—Boston Globe

"A documentary photographer with a social conscience, at the Whitney."
—New Yorker

"However grim or sprawling the content, the moral center of Mr. Lyon’s pictures is invariably strong and unbending."
—The Wall Street Journal

"Danny Lyon has documented the harsh realities of American life for the past fifty years."
—L'oeil de la Photographie

In the Whitney’s Collection
23 works

View all

Danny Lyon
Gamblers, Gujiao, China
2006

Danny Lyon
Trick or Treat
1985

Danny Lyon
Self Portrait in Mary Frank's Bathroom, NYC
1969

Danny Lyon
The Domino Players, The Walls Prison, Texas
1968–1969

Danny Lyon
Six Wing Cell Block, Ramsey Unit TDC
1968, printed 1969

Danny Lyon
Heat Exhaustion, Ellis Prison Farm Texas
1968, printed 1969

View all

Sunrise

Sunset

A 30-second online art project:
American Artist, Looted

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