CMP at 50 is a showcase of history and wonder, an exhibition that celebrates the first 50 years of the California Museum of Photography. From its inception, the CMP has dedicated itself to collecting and exhibiting photography not only as an art form, but as a cultural and technological phenomenon. The exhibition celebrates this legacy, and the countless supporters, staff, faculty, donors, collectors, members, and students who have enabled the museum to thrive. CMP at 50 draws on the world-class collection of 500,000 images and objects to present an exhibition of gems and marvels connected to the museum’s evolution and to the dramatically shifting course of photo history.

Photographs by: Berenice Abbott, Ansel Adams, Marie Bovo, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Yolanda Andrade, Lewis Baltz, Thomas Barrow, Mark Berghash, Laurie Brown, Wynn Bullock, Steven J. Cahill, Jo Ann Callis, Phil Chang, Larry Clark, Will Connell, Linda Connor, Darryl Curran, Bruce Davidson, Wayne E. Davis, Joe Deal, Lewis deSoto, T. Enami, Walker Evans, Jona Frank, Travon Free, Anthony Friedkin, Lee Friedlander, Francis Frith, Flor Garduño, Anna Gaskell, Raoul Gradvohl, Philippe Halsman, Graciela Iturbide, Mike Kelley, André Kértesz, Sant Khalsa, Kusakabe Kimbei, Hiromu Kira, Mark Klett & Byron Wolfe, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Danny Lyon, Mike Mandel, M. Robert Markovich, Eniac Martinez, Douglas McCulloh, Susan Meiselas, Pedro Meyer, Joel Meyerowitz, J.C. Mills, Barbara Morgan, Kenji Nakahashi, Keystone View Company, Arnold Newman, Anne Noggle, Kenda North, Marion Palfi, Sheila Pinkel, Man Ray, Stephen Shore, Rubén Ortiz Torres, Marion Palfi, Sheila Pinkel, Jim Pomeroy, Herb Quick, Man Ray, Christopher Russell, H.M. Shaw, Stephen Shore, Larry Silver, Phel Steinmetz, Penelope Umbrico, Underwood & Underwood, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Andy Warhol, Gillian Wearing, Edward Weston, and Garry Winogrand.

Related Events

Spring Reception
Saturday, April 15, 2023 | 6-9pm
Free and open to the public

CMP at 50 is curated by Leigh Gleason, Interim Executive Director and Director of Collections at UCR ARTS. This exhibition received generous support from Keith Downs. Exhibitions at UCR ARTS are supported by the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at UCR, and by the City of Riverside.

Image: Will Connell, Make-Up, 1937, from In Pictures. Gelatin silver print, Collection of the California Museum of Photography/UCR ARTS. Gift of Will Connell.