Henry Wessel: Vintage Photographs

Since the 1960s, Wessel has photographed vernacular scenes of the American West, particularly in California. Immediately drawn to the quality of light he encountered during a visit from New York to Los Angeles, Wessel moved cross-country to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971. From stretches of dusty highway to modest California bungalows framed by telephone poles and palm trees, Wessel's often spare and solitary images capture the idiosyncrasies and irony of American life with a wry objectivity. His photographs of parking lots, beach-goers, and shrubbery -- all illuminated by the brilliance of Western light -- find beauty and intrigue in the commonplace and document the social landscape in a manner that is casual yet formally compelling. Pace/MacGill Gallery is presents Henry Wessel: Vintage Photographs, on view April 21 through July 8, 2011. The exhibition marks Wessel’s first show at the gallery and features over 30 vintage gelatin silver prints made between 1968 and 1987. www.pacemacgill.com