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People For the American Way & Downtown for Democracy present: NAT FINKELSTEIN People For the American
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Nat Finkelstein was a photographer with the photo agencies PIX and Black Star during the 1960s. He was a successful mainstream photojournalist, published in major media outlets. Nat is perhaps best known for his work with Andy Warhol as Warhol's 'unofficial' in-house photographer - these Warhol photographs are now recognized as some of the best photographic work of the 20th century. In August 1965, Nat was assigned by Life Magazine to photograph protesters in Washington DC. The protest - known as the Assembly of Unrepresented Persons - was designed to link opposition to the Vietnam War with support for voting rights to create a broader peace and freedom movement. Urged on by a young woman holding a "DEFEND FREEDOM" sign, the protesters tried nonviolently to enter the Capitol to present a "Declaration of Peace." But police intervened and a melée ensued - with Nat Finkelstein there to capture every frame of it. After the protest, Nat gave his negatives to a messenger from Life's Washington office. Those negatives promptly disappeared. For almost 30 years they remained missing and this hole in the historical record persisted. But fortunately, the contact sheets of the images Nat captured that day were recently re-discovered. This exhibition marks their first public viewing. At a time when Americans are deeply divided over a foreign war, self-proclaimed "patriots" attempt to stifle dissent and certain images (e.g. flag-draped coffins) are banned, Nat Finkelstein's photos from August 1965 are especially poignant. They are powerful reminders that the need for protest knows no historical period. For further information please contact Bronwyn Keenan or Molly Lombardi. Thanks to Scott Hagendorf and George Nash at Nucleus Imaging. |