Ilse Bing photographs at Wellesley College
The Worlds of Ilse Bing spotlights the prominent photographer’s career from her early days in Frankfurt, Germany to Paris and then onto New York City. For almost 100 years, Bing (1899-1998) distinguished herself in a world where photography was mostly male-dominated and coming into its own as an art form ideally suited to represent modern, urban life. The exhibition of her remarkable career at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA opens September 19 and runs through December 14, 2025 and again from February 6, 2026 through May 24, 2026.
Featuring a recent gift of vintage photographs by Bing from acclaimed musician and Wellesley College alumna Suzanne Ciani (Class of 1968), the exhibition explores the development of the photographic medium in the mid-twentieth century. The era in which Bing came to prominence saw the birth of the journalistic photo-essay, the launch of the 35-mm Leica camera in 1925, and experiments with abstract photograms and solarization.
Artists led critical debates over how photography should remain true to itself as a medium of and for the modern world. From Frankfurt to Paris to New York City, Bing was at the center of it all, carving out a place for herself as “Queen of the Leica” in a male-dominated world of image making.
The Worlds of Ilse Bing is organized geographically according to the three cities where Bing lived, placing her work in conversation with the artists who made up her creative worlds and providing insight into her influences, process, and undeniable impact on others as they pushed the boundaries of modern art.
“Ilse Bing played a key role in pushing the visual language of photography in new directions in the 20th century,”
Dr. Carrie Cushman, the exhibition’s curator and Director of the Bates College Museum of Art, said. “She was unique in her total commitment to the Leica camera for all her creative pursuits, from fashion to portraiture to street photography, proving that the small film and lightweight camera was ideal for capturing enigmatic moments from everyday life. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to reflect on Bing’s career in 2025 on the 100th anniversary of the launch of the first Leica.”
The Davis Museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call 781-283-2051 or visit https://www1.wellesley.edu/davismuseum/visit/directions.
ABOUT THE DAVIS MUSEUM
A vital resource for communities on the Wellesley College campus and beyond, the Davis Museum is one of the oldest and most acclaimed academic fine art museums in the United States. Its signature Rafael Moneo building houses collections that span the history of art worldwide, from antiquity to the present. Guided by commitments to diversity and inclusion, excellence and innovation, and access for all, the Davis is at the core of Wellesley’s liberal arts mission of educating women to make a difference in the world. With exceptional encyclopedic holdings, rotating special exhibitions, and enriching public programs, the Davis warmly welcomes all visitors, including scholars and students of all ages.
For visitor information: https://www.wellesley.edu/davismuseum/visit/directions.
ABOUT WELLESLEY COLLEGE AND THE ARTS
The Wellesley College arts curriculum and the highly acclaimed Davis Museum are integral components of the College’s liberal arts education. Departments and programs from across the campus enliven the community with world-class programming– classical and popular music, visual arts, theatre, dance, author readings, symposia, and lectures by some of today’s leading artists and creative thinkers–most of which are free and open to the public.
Since 1875, Wellesley College has been a leader in providing an excellent liberal arts education for women who will make a difference in the world. Its 500-acre campus near Boston is home to some 2,400 undergraduate students from 49 states and 58 countries.
