For more than a century, sports and photography have evolved together. The worlds of athlete and photographer, developing simultaneously in separate but overlapping universes, are explored in the South Carolina State Museum's new exhibit Visions of Victory Presented by Mutual of Omaha.
Opening Dec. 15, Visions of Victory gathers 147 images from around the world by such acknowledged master photographers as William Henry Jackson, Annie Leibovitz and David Burnett, along with lesser known and anonymous photographers who have captured some of the greatest moments in sports history with their lenses.
"The idea of stopping time, glimpsing motion juxtaposed with emotion and preserving historic moments in time for posterity, applies equally to viewing athletics and to creating photographic images," says Chief Curator of History Fritz Hamer.
"Some of these memorable moments include Mohammed Ali triumphant over a defeated Sonny Liston, Secretariat's gallop to a triple crown victory and Johnny Unitas throwing a touchdown in the 1958 NFL final."
The exhibit features giants of sports like Arthur Ashe, Wilt Chamberlain, Nadia Comaneci, Ty Cobb, Babe Didrickson, Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Joe Namath, Cal Ripkin Jr. and Babe Ruth in moments of determined exertion, celebration or quiet reflection. Photos of these luminaries are joined by stellar images of unnamed participants in bicycling, rowing, football and even sandlot baseball.
"Visions of Victory was originally created for presentation at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta as a tribute to the 100-year celebration of the modern games, and the era of sports photography," says Hamer. "It also marked a new direction in the art of photographic presentation through the use of Iris technology."
By employing modern, high-tech equipment, the photographs in the exhibit are printed with fine-art, archival links that will last as long as, or longer than, even the most stable photographic prints.
Visions of Victory Presented by Mutual of Omaha is sponsored by Mutual of Omaha, in cooperation with Pinder Press, New York, and organized by the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha.
The exhibit can be seen on the museum's fourth floor through May 15, 2007. For more information, contact Fritz Hamer at (803) 898-4921.
The new heavyweight champion of the world, Muhammad Ali stands victorious over Sonny Liston in this iconic photograph captured for Sports Illustrated by Neil Leifer. It is one of 157 stunning images in the South Carolina State Museum's new exhibit Visions of Victory Sponsored by Mutual of Omaha. The exhibit can be seen through
May 15.
Photo by Neil Leifer/courtesy Mutual of Omaha & S.C. State Museum
In the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Florence Griffith-Joyner earned three gold medals (100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100 meter relay) and one silver medal (4x400 meter relay), and broke world record with runs in the 100 and 200-meter races. This photo of a triumphant "Flo Jo" is one of many great moments in sports in the South Carolina State Museum's new exhibit Visions of Victory Sponsored by Mutual of Omaha. The exhibit can be seen through
May 15.
Photo by Mike Powell/courtesy Mutual of Omaha & S.C. State Museum