Barbara Morgan

(American, 1900–1992)

Barbara Morgan was an American photographer who captured images of professional dancers during their performances. Interested in the visual power of gesture, Morgan froze these ephemeral moments to heighten their symbolic significance. “Primarily, I am after that instant of combustion, when all the energies of the spirit are wonderfully coordinated with the action of the body,” she once said. Born on July 8, 1900 in Buffalo, KS, she moved with her family to Southern California as a child. Morgan went on study painting at the University of California, Los Angeles before moving to New York in 1930. In the city, she was exposed to the photography of Edward Weston and the dance performances of Martha Graham. These two new interests mingled to lead Morgan towards her photography project documenting at least 40 established dancers and choreographers, including Merce Cunningham. The artist also spent time traveling the Southwest, where she documented Navajo and Pueblo Indians dance rituals with watercolors, prints, and photographs. Morgan died on August 17, 1992 in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Today, her works are held in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, among others.

Barbara Morgan Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Barbara Morgan (808 results)
Doris Humphrey, Passacaglia, 1938

Barbara Morgan

Doris Humphrey, Passacaglia, 1938

Sale Date: December 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled (Four works), 1950

Barbara Morgan

Untitled (Four works), 1950

Sale Date: November 17, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham - Every Soul is a Circus, 1940

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham - Every Soul is a Circus, 1940

Sale Date: November 9, 2022

Auction Closed

Pregnant, 1945

Barbara Morgan

Pregnant, 1945

Sale Date: November 9, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham - Letter to the World (Kick), 1940

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham - Letter to the World (Kick), 1940

Sale Date: October 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham - American Provincials, 1935

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham - American Provincials, 1935

Sale Date: October 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham, 1940

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham, 1940

Sale Date: October 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham - Letter to the World (Swirl), 1940

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham - Letter to the World (Swirl), 1940

Sale Date: October 11, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham: Letter to the World (Kick), 1940

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham: Letter to the World (Kick), 1940

Sale Date: September 29, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham - Lamentation (Oblique), 1935

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham - Lamentation (Oblique), 1935

Sale Date: June 8, 2022

Auction Closed

Beaumont Newhall, Ansel Adams, and Willard..., 1942

Barbara Morgan

Beaumont Newhall, Ansel Adams, and Willard..., 1942

Sale Date: May 24, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham - American Document (Trio), 1938

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham - American Document (Trio), 1938

Sale Date: May 11, 2022

Auction Closed

Selected Images of Martha Graham, 1935–1939

Barbara Morgan

Selected Images of Martha Graham, 1935–1939

Sale Date: April 13, 2022

Auction Closed

Samadhi, light drawing, 1969

Barbara Morgan

Samadhi, light drawing, 1969

Sale Date: April 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham -- Letter to the World (Kick), 1940

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham -- Letter to the World (Kick), 1940

Sale Date: April 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham - El Penitente (Solo- Erick..., 1940

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham - El Penitente (Solo- Erick..., 1940

Sale Date: April 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Pearl Primus - Speak to Me of Rivers *..., 1935

Barbara Morgan

Pearl Primus - Speak to Me of Rivers *..., 1935

Sale Date: April 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham, Letter to the World (Kick), 1940

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham, Letter to the World (Kick), 1940

Sale Date: April 7, 2022

Auction Closed

Children Singing in the Rain;..., 1935–1950

Barbara Morgan

Children Singing in the Rain;..., 1935–1950

Sale Date: March 30, 2022

Auction Closed

Spring on Madison Square; Fossil in..., 1938–1965

Barbara Morgan

Spring on Madison Square; Fossil in..., 1938–1965

Sale Date: March 30, 2022

Auction Closed

Moving light design, 1940, 1940

Barbara Morgan

Moving light design, 1940, 1940

Sale Date: March 17, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham, Frontier

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham, Frontier", 1935, 1935

Sale Date: March 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Martha Graham's 'El Penitente', Eric Hawkins , 1940

Barbara Morgan

Martha Graham's 'El Penitente', Eric Hawkins , 1940

Sale Date: March 6, 2022

Auction Closed

The Dance (5 works), 1935–1938

Barbara Morgan

The Dance (5 works), 1935–1938

Sale Date: March 9, 2022

Auction Closed

English (US)

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