The book focuses on the illustrious career of Gordon Parks, whose multifaceted talents spanned writing, directing, and choreography, though he gained prominence as a photographer. Beginning in the 1930s with fashion and portraiture, Parks later documented social issues, notably during his work with the Farm Security Administration. As World War II's first black photographer with the War Office of Information and Life magazine's first black staff photographer, Parks captured images that illuminated the struggles of the urban poor and influenced American society. Maren Stange provides an insightful introduction to this catalog, which accompanies a traveling exhibition by the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts.
