Keith Carter has a strong presence in photography, and certainly in our gallery. He had his first show with us in 1997, when he was already celebrating his 25th year in photography. The show was a sellout, which gave our 2-year-old gallery the courage to move forward with our mission.
Early on, Keith’s signature was to expose the negative’s full frame in his prints. This enables the viewer to see what Keith originally envisioned, since there was no cropping of the image in the darkroom.
His images tell a story, as in Starry Night from 2021, or his 1992 image of Fireflies. One might compose a poem while looking at his Raven from 1996. Each photograph is still, but full of mystery, charm, wonder, beauty.
Garlic is a brilliant example of capturing the Decisive Moment in photography. Keith caught this seductive image of Tot while in Tunica County, Mississippi working on a grant project for the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Although you cannot see Tot’s face, you get a sense that she must be a woman that holds magic and wisdom. And the garlic flowers being held against the sky seem to manifest whatever powers she may have. Garlic is certainly a strong symbol of protection in this composition.
Carter’s Garlic sold out years ago. For the few that own this masterpiece, as one U.S. President does, we understand its timeless beauty and power. If you are interested in being one of the fortunate ones to own this photograph, please inquire.
Keith Carter, Garlic, 1991
Gelatin Silver Print
Image size: 15.25 x 15.25 in.
Paper size: 20 x 16 in.
Edition 26/50
Signed, titled, and dated with edition number in pencil by artist on print verso
SOLD
Garlic has been published in the following books:
Mojo: Photographs by Keith Carter
Keith Carter Photographs: 25 Years
Keith Carter: 50 Years
“Tot lived in the middle of a cotton field in Tunica, Mississippi. She kept chickens, rabbits, three pigs, two cats and a goat. When I commented on her garden, she uprooted two stalks of garlic and whirled them around, saying, ‘Cures what ails you.’”
Portrait by Libby Vinnels
Keith Carter, b. 1948, Madison, WI
Keith Carter's haunting, enigmatic photographs have been shown in over one hundred solo exhibitions in thirteen countries. Thirteen books of his work have been published along with two documentary films: A Certain Alchemy, and Keith Carter: The Artist Series. Called a "Poet of the Ordinary" by the Los Angeles Times, he is the recipient of the Texas Medal of Arts.
Mr. Carter has been featured on the arts segment of nationally televised CBS Sunday Morning, and is the recipient of the Lange-Taylor Prize from the Center For Documentary Studies at Duke University. His work is included in numerous private and public collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, The National Portrait Gallery, The Smithsonian American Art Museum, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The J. Paul Getty Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The George Eastman House, and The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University.
A gifted and insightful teacher, Keith Carter holds the Endowed Walles Chair of Art at Lamar University in Texas where he was awarded the University's highest teaching honors; the Regents' Professor Award and Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Prize.
