Photo Caption: Printing Press, Clarksville TN, Photographed for Fortune Magazine, 1948, Ezra Stoller © Esto

Ezra Stoller is the pre-eminent American architectural photographer. Less well known are the industrial and commercial photographs made during his long career. A new exhibition of Stoller’s work, “Man and Machine”, is on view at 1050 K Street NW in Washington. This selection includes images of factory workers, construction sites and busy offices capturing the optimism and economic growth in the United States after World War II.

Nina Rappaport, the critic and historian, selected images from the Esto archive for this exhibition. In her introduction, Rappaport writes, “Through his photographs Stoller reveals perspectives that either illuminate technological achievements or capture mechanization of the workplace and relationship of workers to their individual task”.

Ezra Stoller (1915-2004) studied architecture and began his photography career in the late 1930s. In the following decades, in addition to photography of buildings, he documented projects for Fortune Magazine, Upjohn Pharmaceuticals, IBM and for other corporations and publications.

With the clarity of vision and strong composition developed through his concentration on works of architecture, these images of industry and infrastructure demonstrate a broader point of view in Stoller’s work than has been realized in the past and clearly position him as one of the major American photographers of the 20th Century.

In the fall of 2009, a second group of Stoller’s photographs, “Inhabiting Architecture”, will be installed at 1050K Street. Considered together, the two exhibitions provide the most complete view of Stoller’s work to date.

1050 K Street is a new LEED Gold building designed by HickokCole. The photographs are installed in the lobby which is open to the public, in the Penthouse Gallery and other sites through the building. By appointment. Weekdays, 9-5. March through August 2009.

Ezra Stoller images are licensed through Esto www.esto.com
Prints of Stoller’s work from Yossi Milo Gallery www.yossimilo.com
Nina Rappaport, curator, educator, historian  www.ninarappaport.com
Exhibition arranged by Joshua Heller www.joshuahellerrarebooks.com
1050 K Street,  the new building www.1050kstreet.com
HickokCole, the architects of 1050 K Street www.hickokcole.com