Peter Sekaer gets his Closeup at the ICP

Peter Sekaer, Times Square 1935  (NY Artbeat)

If thoughts of holiday crowds make you queasy, you might want to scope out the always invigorating International Center of Photography. Yes, it is located between the shopping sandwich that is Fifth Avenue and Times Square, the ICP is nonetheless a welcome oasis in Midtown.

Lacking the tourist pull of New York's most famous museums such as MoMA and the Met, the ICP nonetheless is an essential stop on the itinerary of any serious photography enthusiast. The center customarily features at least three exhibits at any given time, often with interwoven themes. The gift shop is concise and well stocked, and the cafe is downstairs, cozy, and quiet. 

Currently on view are "Remembering 9/11", "Harper's Bazaar: A Decade of Style", and "Signs of Life: Photographs by Peter Sekaer". All are on through January 8th, and all are worth exploring. The Harper's and Peter Sekaer exhibits are on the street level, with the downstairs galleries dedicated to 9/11 photographs.

If the thought of tackling an exhibit on 9/11 during the frantic holiday season has you feeling uneasy, rest assured that it is an engrossing exhibit that helps to contextualize that most daunting of contemporary events. The Harper's show is vibrant and dynamic, and features lovely shots of the famous and beautiful, most memorably a retro, sepia-toned shot of Julianne Moore. 

As for the Sekaer show, that is the quiet revelation of the center. Sekaer was a Danish born documentary photographer who was a major participant in the US government's photographic project during the Great Depression. He traveled extensively though the American South alongside his friend Walker Evans. His work has both an unflinching documentarian's eye and a graphic designer's knack for symmetry and strong composition. 

This is the first major museum exhibition devoted to Sekaer's work, and like the best ICP shows, it is eye opening, particularly by showcasing the work of a major talent who nonetheless is not the household name of his peer, Evans. The savvy visitor could fill up on treats from the caff, then pop into the shop to score a few art books before slipping through the crowds and getting home safe and sound.