I stumbled unexpectedly into an exhibit by Nicholas Nixon at the Museum of Fine Art Houston recently. It took me by surprise, as it was not advertised on the museum’s webpage and there was no real advertising for it that I could tell.
I found it unexpectedly — a long string of about 35 images, all in 8 X 10 inches along a wall. As I looked closer, I realized it was Nicholas Nixon’s best known work, the Brown sisters. Nixon has shot has wife and three sisters in law consistently for about 35 years now. I had read about the work, but this was the first time I had to experience it in person.
A few random thoughts on what I saw. Four sisters, photographed year after year all in the same order. There is an immediate intimacy in every shot and we sense that. We also sense the passage of time as the sisters age. Their love for one another is apparent and Nixon had to have felt the same as he made those images. Others have photographed siblings over the course of time, but no one has done it as consistently as as long as he has. Another example of how finding a true passion makes for the best photography.
There is an interview on Vimeo which shows Nixon discussing his work. It’s worth your time. He speaks eloquently of honoring what is in your frame and the intimacy of subject and photographer and how he blends those roles in his other projects.