Iconic Martha Graham Photograph to Be Auctioned at Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance Gala this Saturday

Iconic Martha Graham Photograph to Be Auctioned at RCD Gala

When an image pops into your head upon hearing the name “Martha Graham,” no doubt it was created by legendary photographer Barbara Morgan. One of those iconic images, an original silver print signed by Barbara Morgan from the 1940 series Letter to the World - Swirl, is available in the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance gala live auction this Saturday, thanks to the generosity of Kara and Nils Morgan. It’s a rare opportunity to own an important work of modern photography that impacted two aspects of the arts – dance and photography. And to support non-profit RCD in carrying on Martha Graham’s legacy through its faculty and modern dance curriculum!

Graham and Morgan began six years of intense collaboration in 1935 on a book, Martha Graham: 16 Dances in Photographs, which was a centerpiece of both of their careers and is considered the quintessential statement on how to look at dance and record it. One of the most notable photographs from this series is Martha Graham, Letter to the World (Swirl) that captures the culminating moment of the dance: the kick. The signed photograph has an estimated value of  $4,000-$6,000; opening bid is set at $1,000.

Smithsonian magazine calls the Letter to the World series “the most famous ever taken of an American dancer… ranks in honor with Ansel Adams’ photographs of Yosemite and Walker Evans’ of small-town churches.” In addition to the Smithsonian Institution, Morgan’s photographs are in the permanent collections of Lincoln Center Museum of the Performing Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art, MOMA, the National Gallery, and many more. (Barbara Morgan died in 1992.)

For tickets to the RCD gala (Saturday, April 29, Ridgefield Academy Hope Hall) click HERE.  

Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, 203.431. 5597. information@ridgefielddance.org, ridgefielddance.org, a 501(C) (3) non-profit dance education organization.