'Gordon Parks and the Atmosphere of Crime'

MoMA's curator of photography Sarah Meister joins us to discuss Gordon Parks's 1957 series The Atmosphere of Crime for Life magazine as well as the fourth floor gallery collection now on view.

Titled Gordon Parks and The Atmosphere of Crime, the collection addresses the criminal justice system in ways that are relevant to present-day issues. Exploring selections from the "Atmosphere of Crime" photos, Parks's work is placed in context with 19th-century work—including mugshots—and a generous selection of crime photographs, as well as a clip from Parks’s legendary 1971 film Shaft. The gallery groups together a complex history of capturing criminality, its intersection with race, and its representation in the US.