A major photography exhibition featuring works by some of the most influential photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries has arrived in Southampton, New York, marking the beginning of a national museum tour that will continue across the country over the next two years.
Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder, organized by the American Federation of Arts (AFA), is currently on view at Southampton Arts Center from July 25 through September 27. Following its Southampton debut, the exhibition will travel to additional museums and cultural institutions nationwide.
The exhibition brings together works from Glickman Lauder’s extensive collection, creating a visual dialogue across generations, artistic movements and geographic locations. Rather than focusing on a single period or photographic style, Presence explores the ways photographers have documented the human experience and used the medium to examine identity, history, culture and society.
The collection spans a wide range of photographic traditions, including Pictorialism, social documentary, Surrealism and street photography. Among the artists represented are some of photography’s most recognizable names, including Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, Edward Steichen, James Van Der Zee, Danny Lyon, Susan Meiselas, Ruth Orkin, Joyce Tenneson and Merry Alpern.
The exhibition also offers visitors an opportunity to see photographs that have become part of the visual record of American life alongside more intimate and experimental works.
Among the featured images are Dorothea Lange’s iconic Migrant Mother, a defining image of Depression-era America, and photographs capturing prominent cultural and historical figures. The collection also includes work by Norman Seeff documenting Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, as well as images related to the civil rights era.
The range of work is central to the exhibition’s appeal. A photograph created decades ago can be placed in conversation with a later work, allowing visitors to consider how photographers have approached similar themes under dramatically different social and cultural circumstances.
According to the American Federation of Arts, the exhibition creates conversations across time and space that are possible because of the breadth and character of Glickman Lauder’s collection.
The national tour also underscores the continuing importance of photography as both an artistic medium and a historical record. From documentary images capturing moments of national significance to portraits and street photographs revealing everyday life, the works encourage viewers to consider what photographs preserve—and what they can reveal about the people and societies behind them.
For New York-area audiences, the Southampton presentation provides the first opportunity to experience Presence before it continues its journey to museums around the country.
The exhibition is on view at Southampton Arts Center through September 27, 2026, with additional tour stops expected to follow over the next two years.