A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

"A Democracy of Images [...] it's the story of photography itself."

"The 'democracy' of "A Democracy of Images" also can be read as an allusion to America itself, suggesting that the show is, in some ways, a portrait of our nation formed by looking at it from many angles."

"Like many Americans, several of the artists in "Democracy" were not born here. Robert Frank came from Switzerland, Ana Mendieta, from Cuba. Muriel Hasbun, the daughter of a Frenchwoman with a Polish-Jewish background and a Palestinian Christian father, was born in El Salvador and now teaches at the Corcoran.

This melting pot is, of course, quintessentially American. And the outsider's eye often helps an artist see things that those born here might miss. One of the show's sub-themes is photography as a tool of political commentary." [...]

Read the WaPo review here.