Yale University Art Gallery acquires Rodney Smith Prints

New Haven/Connecticut Four of Rodney Smith’s iconic fashion photographs and twenty-eight prints from Smith's transformative journey through Israel have been added to Yale University Art Gallery's permanent collection.

Eager to expand Yale's fashion holdings, Judy Ditner, the Richard Benson Assistant Curator of Photography and Digital Media, selected iconic works by Smith, including Skyline, Bernadette Twirling, Shirley Seated in Grandstand and Bernadette with Compact, all from the 1990s. These images join notable street photography by Robert Frank, Lewis Hine, Helen Levitt and Garry Winogrand, along with images of social upheaval by Dorothea Lange and W. Eugene Smith.

This acquisition marks a poignant return to the institution where Rodney Smith first discovered his passion for photography — studying under Walker Evans while simultaneously earning a Master of Divinity degree in 1973.

Judy Ditner states, "Smith's journey from Yale to establishing his distinctive style provides us with a comprehensive view of his artistic development, enabling scholarly research across his entire body of work. Yale now has the privilege of preserving his legacy and inspiring future generations through Smith's masterful technical execution and conceptual depth."