Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer opens at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

RICHMOND, VA.- Fifty-six dramatic 1956 photographs of Elvis Presley on the brink of international superstardom – including intimate images taken in Richmond – are being shown in Elvis at 21 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The black-and-white photographs taken by Alfred Wertheimer show a baby-faced Elvis just as his career began but before he was a recognizable rock-and-roll icon. “You’ll see some extraordinary behind-the-scenes shots of Elvis just as his career was starting,” VMFA Director Alex Nyerges said. “The exhibition [...]

Ali and Elvis: Exhibition of American Icons at the James A. Michener Art Museum

DOYLESTOWN, PA.- Elvis is in the house and Ali is in the ring. Two of our nation’s most well-known icons—”the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “the Greatest”—meet at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa., February 19 through May 15. Ali and Elvis: American Icons, features two photography exhibitions: the Smithsonian’s Elvis at 21 and art2art’s Muhammad Ali: The Making of an Icon. Elvis at 21 is sponsored nationally by HISTORY™. Muhammad Ali, c. 1970, Gordon Parks, courtesy [...]

The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family on View at the Peabody Essex Museum

SALEM, MA.- The sitter was a young president on the verge of taking office. The photographer was an internationally-celebrated fashion and portrait photographer at the top of his game. The Peabody Essex Museum presents the striking results of this historic meeting with The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family: Photographs by Richard Avedon – an exhibition of photographs taken of president-elect John F. Kennedy and his young family weeks before moving into the White House. Iconic images are presented with the [...]

New Traveling Exhibition Shows Elvis before He was “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll”

WASHINGTON, DC.- Photojournalist Alfred Wertheimer was hired by RCA Victor in 1956 to shoot promotional images of a recently signed 21-year-old recording artist, Elvis Presley. Wertheimer’s instincts to “tag along” with the artist after the assignment and the resulting images provide us today with a look at Elvis before he exploded onto the scene and became one of the most exciting performers of his time. “Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer,” a new Smithsonian traveling exhibition, presents 56 of [...]