August 17, 1986 (Alzheimers)

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Medium

8 gelatin silver prints

Dimensions

image (each): 23.5 × 33 cm (9 1/4 × 13 in.) framed: 49.2 × 135.5 × 3.81 cm (19 3/8 × 53 3/8 × 1 1/2 in.)

Classification

Photograph

Department

CPH

Museum

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Credit

Corcoran Collection (Gift of Howard and Joy Korman in honor of and as a tribute to their brother, Jim Goldberg)

Accession Number

2015.19.4684

Art Historical Context

**August 17, 1986 (Alzheimers)** by Jim Goldberg captures a poignant moment through eight gelatin silver prints, arranged as a compelling polyptych dated precisely to that summer day in 1986. Goldberg, a renowned documentary photographer, is celebrated for his intimate, narrative-driven works that blend images with personal stories, often exploring themes of family, memory, and vulnerability. The title's reference to Alzheimer's disease evokes the era's growing awareness of this devastating condition, which profoundly affected American families, including public figures like President Reagan's...

About the Artist

Jim Goldberg

Jim Goldberg, born in 1953 in New Haven, Connecticut, emerged as a pivotal figure in American documentary photography through his immersive, collaborative approach to capturing marginalized lives. He earned a BA in photography from Western Washington University in 1975 before studying at the San Francisco Art Institute under Larry Sultan, a conceptually oriented photographer whose influence shaped...

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