Photography icon Sarah Moon showcases 40 years of work in a new exhibition

La Funambule, 2003
La Funambule, 2003 (Image credit: © Sarah Moon, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York)

Sarah Moon: On the Edge is currently on display at the Howard Greenberg Gallery and includes 30 images from over four decades of Moon's illustrious photography career.

The show will run until April 6, 2024, and provide an insight into the ethos behind Moon's signature style, a style that remains present across all genres of her work. Although perhaps best known for being one of the greatest fashion photographers of all time, and having work published in publications such as Vogue, Marie Claire, and Harpar's Bazaar, Moon's still lifes and landscapes also capture the same essence that makes the images unmistakenly Sarah Moon. Often working with Polaroid film, Moon's images evoke a sense of mystery that often conjures more questions than it answers. 

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Fashion 11, Yohji Yamamoto, 1996 (Image credit: © Sarah Moon, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York)

Hommage à Bonnard, 1997 (Image credit: © Sarah Moon, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York)

Sarah Moon began her career in front of the camera as a fashion model in the 1960s until she started working behind it in 1970. She began to make images that challenged the aesthetic of the time, opting for a more artistic and ethereal tone which gained her work recognition. Moon’s intimate feminine gaze and blurred aesthetic stood out in a field dominated by men, paving the way for more women photographers to join her ranks. Moon's work was more than capturing the obvious but instead captured compelling mystery.

Amaryllis, 2012 (Image credit: © Sarah Moon, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York)

L'échappée belle, 2021 (Image credit: © Sarah Moon, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York)

Her style developed further and drifted between genres, earning her shows and exhibitions all over the world. Sarah Moon: On the Edge has been curated by the artist, and includes a selection of work made between the 1980s to 2022.

In describing the work selected for the exhibition Moon states “All along, I tried to avoid the anecdote, looking for an echo between what I see and what I feel, trying to reach that visual point of no return, that second that cannot happen again."

"Today, I realize that minimalism means more and more to me whatever I photograph, trying to get to the essential of what I see, cropping the subject out of its context, reducing it to that second, to that limit of time, grasping light before it vanishes. The photos I am presenting here are on the edge of that attempt.”

Papillon by Christian Dior, 2022 (Image credit: © Sarah Moon, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York)

The Howard Greenberg Gallery has built a vast collection of some of the most important photographs in the medium and has a long-standing relationship with Moon and her work. Having first worked together over 30 years ago, the gallery has exhibited many of Moon's shows and films and also produced two of her artistic books.

Howard Greenberg says “She has achieved world-class status as one of the greats, a living legend. This will be Sarah’s first gallery exhibition in America in 12 years and will continue to demonstrate the unique style and artistry of Sarah Moon!”

Not to be missed, Sarah Moon: On the Edge is on display now until April 6, 2024, at the Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York. It is certainly an inspirational exhibition that will last long in the memory.

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Kalum Carter
Staff Writer

Kalum is a professional photographer with over a decade of experience, also working as a photo editor and photography writer. Specializing in photography and art books, Kalum has a keen interest in the stories behind the images and often interviews contemporary photographers to gain insights into their practices. With a deep passion for both contemporary and classic photography, Kalum brings this love of the medium to all aspects of his work.