One of the most original and ambitious photographic artists of the twentieth century, Lee Miller (1907–1977) performed with unique success on both sides of the camera. Chronicling the diverse periods of her career, this exhibition begins with Miller's days as a model in the late 1920s and early '30s, continuing through her studio photography years in Paris and New York, her travels in Egypt and Eastern Europe, her days as a war correspondent, and finally to the relative tranquility of the post-war years at home in England.

A selection of more than 140 images, mainly vintage photographs, celebrate Miller's remarkable life and her art—and how each reflected and influenced the other. Organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum on the occasion of the 2007 centenary of her birth, the exhibition spans her extraordinary career as a photographer and is the first complete retrospective, exploring her transformation from artist's muse to ground-breaking artist.

The exhibition features extensive loans from the Lee Miller Archives in East Sussex, England, directed by Miller’s son Antony Penrose, among other sources. Ten photographs from the Museum’s collection are included in the traveling exhibition. Additional selections from the collection are featured in the Philadelphia venue, as are two photographs by Miller on loan from the Museum of Modern Art and one work from a private collection in New York.

Organizer

This exhibition is organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Sponsor

Exhibitions in the Berman and Stieglitz Galleries in 2008, including The Art of Lee Miller, are made possible by RBC Wealth Management.

Curator

Mark Haworth-Booth • The University of the Arts London

Coordinators

Katherine Ware • Curator of Photographs
Julia Dolan • Horace W. Goldsmith Curatorial Fellow in Photography

Location

The Berman and Stieglitz Galleries, ground floor

Itinerary

Victoria & Albert Museum, London (September 15, 2007–January 6, 2008)
Philadelphia Museum of Art (January 26–April 27, 2008)
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (July 1–September 21, 2008 )
Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris (October 14, 2008–January 11, 2009)