David Greene photographs

This collection comprises 33 photographic negatives (a mix of color and black and white images) depicting the work and apartment room of artist Henry Darger (Chicago; 1892-1973). The photographs were taken by David Greene in the summer of 1977 for promotion of an exhibition entitled Realms of the Unreal: The Work of Henry Darger, which opened at the Hyde Part Art Center (HPAC) in Chicago on September 25, 1977. A brochure for this exhibition is included in this collection. Greene and HPAC curator Robert Pollack were given access to Darger’s room by his former landlords Nathan and Kiyoko Lerner, who, according to Greene, had not altered the room very much, if at all, since Darger vacated the room and shortly thereafter passed away in April 1973. The images in this collection reflect Greene and Pollack’s focus on Darger’s work for the exhibition, however two “outlier” images show Greene and Pollack interacting with Darger’s work and surroundings. In one image, Pollack is seated in a corner of the room in Darger’s night shirt, rosary, and crucifix. The background of the image gives a glimpse of how Darger hung his work in his room. Two other images show close-ups of the photographer and Pollack's faces, with one of Darger’s paintings in the background. These three images depicting Darger’s room and the styling of its visitors, provide artistic and historical context for the discovery and early appreciation of Darger, now one of the most celebrated self-taught artists of all time.