Jim Goldberg (b. 1953) has been photographing and exhibiting his photographs since receiving a BA in photography from Western Washington University in 1975 and MFA in photography from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1979. Goldberg has exhibited widely and his work is included in numerous notable collections including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Getty, the National Gallery, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the Art Institute of Chicago among many more.
His work is notable due to his exceptional storytelling and experimental use of image and text. Goldberg’s innovative and multidisciplinary approach to social documentary makes him a landmark photographer of our times. His work often examines the lives of neglected, ignored, or otherwise outside-the-mainstream populations through long-term, in depth collaborations that investigate the nature of American myths about class, power, and happiness. Goldberg has published multiple books with a central focus on marginalized social groups and difficult subject matters, including Rich and Poor (1977-85), Raised by Wolves (1985-95), Open See (2003-2009). His documentary approach to image making continues with ongoing personal projects and select commissions.
Jim Goldberg’s innovative and multidisciplinary approach to documentary makes him a landmark photographer and social practitioner of our times. His work often examines the lives of neglected, ignored, or otherwise outside-the-mainstream populations through long-term, in depth collaborations which investigate the nature of American myths about class, power, and happiness.
A prolific and influential bookmaker, Goldberg’s recent books include Ruby Every Fall, Nazraeli Press (2014); The Last Son, Super Labo (2016); Raised By Wolves Bootleg (2016), Candy, Yale University Press (2017), Darrell & Patricia, Pier 24 Photography (2018) and Gene (2018). Goldberg has exhibited widely, including shows at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; SFMOMA; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Corcoran Gallery of Art; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the Yale University Art Gallery. His work is also regularly featured in group exhibitions around the world. Public collections including MoMA, SFMOMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Getty, the National Gallery, LACMA, MFA Boston, The High Museum, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Library of Congress, MFA Houston, National Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Goldberg has received three National Endowment of the Arts Fellowships in Photography, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Henri Cartier-Bresson Award, and the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, among many other honors and grants. Goldberg is Professor Emeritus at the California College of the Arts. He is represented by Casemore Kirkeby Gallery in San Francisco. Goldberg joined Magnum Photos in 2002.
