Southampton Arts Center Presents “Colorama” by the George Eastman Museum

[caption id="attachment_57214" align="alignnone" width="755"] "Waterskiing."[/caption]

The Southampton Arts Center has announced its final exhibition of 2016. Colorama, organized by the George Eastman Museum, will open on November 11, with a reception for the public on November 12 from 4 to 6 p.m., and refreshments provided by Southampton Social Club. Once touted by Kodak as "the world's largest photographs," 36 of these panoramic prints will be on view through December 31.

In 1950, the Eastman Kodak Company installed the first Colorama on the interior east wall of Grand Central Station. The advertisements were 18’ by 60’ and needed over a mile of cold-cathode tubes to light them from behind. In total, 565 Colorama photographs were displayed here over the next 40 years.

The production of Coloramas required the joint efforts of Kodak’s marketing and technical staffs, as well as many photographers including Ansel Adams, Ernst Haas and Eliot Porter. Until 1990, these illuminated illustrations imitated and represented American values and aspirations and promoted picture taking as a newfound aspect of leisure, travel, family and social life.

Colorama is brought to Southampton Arts Center thanks to the generosity of David C. Bohnett. The Southampton Arts Center is located at 25 Jobs Lane and the gallery is open Thursdays through Sundays from 12 to 6 p.m. For more information, please visit southamptonartscenter.org/.