New American Prospects: Montezuma Creek, Utah, May 1983

Sternfeld’s seminal body of work, American Prospects, changed the course of photographic representation. From this series we find that Sternfeld looked upon the course of human events in America with exaltation and with sadness. He saw an America that has stood in the history of nations as a place of wealth, exuberance, exoticism, and most importantly as a noble experiment in democracy. With each successive publication of American Prospects, critics have pointed to its ongoing, indeed increasing, relevance to the present moment.

American Prospects: The New Pictures is the debut of never-before-seen images from Sternfeld’s legendary work. Oftentimes quieter and more contemplative than the iconic images of the original publication, they provide a more nuanced and a more rounded view of the contradictions inherent in the American experience. Discovered in boxes never opened or never examined in the Sternfeld studio, they provide us a richer view into an American classic. In time, some of these images will become iconic as well, but for now, they are as fresh as if they were made yesterday even while functioning as documents of a time some forty years ago.

Edition: 1 of 1