Philip Perkis Explained

Philip Perkis (born 1935) is an American photographer and educator. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship^[1] and his work is held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago,^[2] Carnegie Museum of Art,^[3] J. Paul Getty Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art,^[4] Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles,^[5] and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.^[6]

Life and work

Perkis was born in Boston, Massachusetts.^[7] He studied painting at San Francisco Art Institute.^[8]

He took up photography while in the Air Force in 1957.^[9] Later he made half his living doing commercial assignments and printing for other photographers, and the other half teaching—at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York and at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.^[8]

Around 1992, Perkis made photographs in Mexico on a Guggenheim Fellowship, resulting in the 2019 book Mexico.^[10]

Personal life

Perkis is married to the artist Cyrilla Mozenter.^[11]

Publications

Books of photography by Perkis

• Warwick Mountain Series: Photographs. Atlanta, GA: Nexus, 1978. .
• The Sadness of Men. New York City: Quantuck Lane, 2008. . With a foreword by Alan Klotz, an introduction by Max Kozloff and a transcrpt of an interview between Perkis and John Braverman Levine.
• In a Box Upon the Sea = 바다로 떠나는 상자 속에서 = Pada ro ttŏnanŭn sangja sok esŏ. Seoul, South Korea: Anmoc, 2016. Photographs and anecdotes by Perkis. In English and Korean.^[9]
• Mexico. Seoul, South Korea: Anmoc, 2019. . In English and Korean.^[10]

Other books by Perkis

• Teaching Photography: Notes Assembled. Rochester, NY: OB; RIT Cary Graphic Arts. 2001, ; 2005, .
• A Single Photography, Twenty Days, Twenty Comments. . With an introduction by Owen Butler.

Films

• Just to See – A Mystery: a Film Portrait of Philip Perkis (2015) – 1 h 20 m; documentary directed by Jin Ju Lee

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

• Philip Perkis: Fifty Years of Photographs, Jepson Center for the Arts, Savannah, Georgia, 2010^[12]

Group exhibitions

• Spirit of Mexico: Photographs by Bravo, Levitt and Perkis, Telfair Academy, Savannah, Georgia, 2006. With work by Perkins, Manuel Alvarez Bravo and Helen Levitt.^[13]

Awards

• 1991: Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for photography^[1]

Collections

Perkis' work is held in the following permanent collections:

• Art Institute of Chicago

8 prints (as of 27 October 2022)^[2]

• Carnegie Museum of Art

6 prints (as of 27 October 2022)^[3]

• J. Paul Getty Museum

2 prints (as of 27 October 2022)^[7]

• Metropolitan Museum of Art

8 prints (as of 27 October 2022)^[4]

• Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

4 prints (as of 27 October 2022)^[5]

• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

5 prints (as of 27 October 2022)^[6]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2022-10-03. Philip Perkis. John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
2. Web site: Philip Perkis. The Art Institute of Chicago.
3. Web site: CMOA Collection. collection.cmoa.org.
4. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=Philip+Perkis&sortBy=Relevance&pageSize=0
5. Web site: Philip Perkis. www.moca.org.
6. https://collections.mfa.org/advancedsearch/Objects/peopleSearch%3APhilip%20Perkis;jsessionid=910CB927457756744167E79FAAE1435B
7. Web site: Philip Perkis (The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection). The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection.
8. Web site: 2022-10-28. Quiet Images; The Photography Of Philip Perkis. 1 February 2009. Shutterbug.
9. Web site: 2022-10-28. Blake. Andrews. Blake Andrews. Book Review: In a Box Upon the Sea.
10. Web site: 2022-10-28. photo-eye Bookstore - Mexico by Philip Perkis - photobook. www.photoeye.com.
11. Web site: Blake. Andrews. Blake Andrews. 2022-10-28. B: Fifteen Questions for Philip Perkis. 25 October 2016.
12. Web site: Bill. Dawers. 2022-10-28. Man About Town: Major photo retrospective opening at Jepson Center. Savannah Morning News.
13. Web site: Allison. Hersh. 2022-10-28. The many faces of Mexico. Savannah Morning News.