Viewfinders: Artists as Historians

Talk
A man stands rowing in a small white boat.

Jake with His Boat Arriving on Daufuskie’s Shore, Daufuskie Island, South Carolina (detail), 1978, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe. Gelatin silver print. National Gallery of Art, Gift of Funds from Diana and Mallory Walker, 2024.7.1

Sunday, Jun 7, 2026

4pm

Getty Center & Online

Harold M. Williams Auditorium

Free

Tickets are free, but required for event entrance. Your event ticket will also serve as your Center entrance reservation. Please note, there is a fee for parking.

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About

During the 1970s and '80s, several artists published important histories highlighting the wealth of African American artistry that had been overlooked. Two landmark publications—Viewfinders: Black Women Photographers by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe and Black Photographers, 1840 to 1940: An Illustrated Bio-Bibliography by Deborah Willis—greatly contributed to the development of the field of photographic history. This conversation brings the two luminaries together to discuss their dual roles as artists and historians.

For in-person attendees, a reception follows the program.

    1. Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe

      Photographer and Activist

      Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe is an American photographer and activist. Her photographs have been published in many magazines and newspapers, including Black Enterprise, Ebony, Life, Self, Smithsonian, and Sports Illustrated, among others. Moutoussamy-Ashe’s photographs are part of the permanent collections at MoMA, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. She has published various monographs and photography books, including the foundational history Viewfinders: Black Women Photographers (1986). A series of photographs she made in South Africa in 1977/78 was published by Steidl in 2025.

    2. Deborah Willis

      Artist, Curator, and Historian

      Deborah Willis is a pioneering American artist, curator, and photography historian, renowned for her work in documenting African American visual culture. She is chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has curated landmark exhibitions as well as authored numerous influential books, including Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers, 1840 to the Present, published in 2000 and re-issued in 2025. Willis has held positions in institutions such as the Schomburg Center and the Smithsonian, and she is a recipient of MacArthur, Guggenheim, and Fletcher Fellowships.

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    Duration

    Approximately 1 hour.

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    Can’t make it?

    Shortly following this event, a recording will be available on Getty's YouTube channel under "Talks and Conversations."

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