© Sal Veder
The horror of war has been presented to us in it’s most naked form since the time of Matthew Brady’s images of the Civil War.

The advent of the fairly new art of photography, coupled with the endless amount of bloodshed of the North V South war, gave the public one of their first realistic views of the cost of war.
With the growth of the photographic technology, and the photographers drawn to the endless conflicts, the War Photographer evolved.

The current show at the Annenberg Space for Photography come with most of the iconic images throughs the wars, and depending on your age, you will most likely see the single images that changed your personal perception of war.
Because of theses generational touch points, this show may be the most emotionally searing exhibit that The Space has shown.
As your mind fills in the space before or after your generation once you glimpse the single, telling image, one thing becomes abundantly clear: We have have been at war forever.
You can call it conflict, peacekeeping. protective, occupied territory. war is hell.
The exhibition does have some of the lifestyles of the soldier, with C rations, govt issued clothers/gear.
Even a hot of Elvis, when he was drafted.

The photographs run the range to ensure that every frame is not the worst parts of war, complete with body parts. The exploration goes deeper, and shows those of us who may not experience the armed forces first hand.

The iconic images are there: including Joe Rosenthal’s Old Glory Goes Up on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima and Alfred Eisenstaedt’s V-J Day, Times Square, New York, Eddie Adams’ image of the execution of a Viet Cong prisoner on the streets of Saigon, and the Pulitzer Pirze winning Nick Ut photo of the girl and her village running from the Napalm drop.

It’s hard to see, but you are drawn to it. It’s our history.

The genius part of the exhibit are the videos. For the first time, you get to hear the stories of the war photographers.
When you look at the images, imagine the person on the other side of the lens.
And when you know that it was a pretty wide angle lens, think again: what makes the photographer make the images and not jump in?
It’s a hard question and this video helps you make some sense of it all.
The protected press are not as protected as in the past. The danger of life and death are real and suffered daily.
But no war photographer I’ve ever met, has been maimed or damaged by the weapons of war, and didn’t want to go right back out. It seems to be a calling.

DO not miss the video.

This is not just a patriotic show, nor a display of death and destruction. It is an exhibit that will stay with you for a very long time.

Pick up the book at the front desk for your home. More there than could ever fit on a wall.

We’ve said it before, but thank you Wallis Annneberg for your continued support of photography, and bringing important exhibits such as this to Los Angeles.

WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its AftermathHours:
Wed-Fri: 11am – 6pm
Sat: 11am – 7:30pm
Sun: 11am – 6pm
Mon – Tue: Closed

Location:
Century Park
2000 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
tel: 213.403.3000