Sage Sohier: Easy Days

These pictures describe a long-ago time, and yet in looking at them I become once again the young photographer who took them on a hot summer day, sweat and dust pungent on the breeze; in the distance, I can hear the laughter of children who are now middle-aged.” — Sage Sohier, from the introductory interview by Mark Steinmetz

We are pleased to announce Easy Days, the third title in Sage Sohier’s trilogy which also includes Americans Seen and Passing Time. Made between 1978 and 1986, the 56 photographs presented in Easy Days capture the prosaic moments of ordinary people, always with respect and often with humor.

Sohier finds her subjects in the open spaces of parking lots, front yards and public streets, and in the quieter confines of modest homes, back yards and porches. She depicts “the boredom of hot summer days” with a precise attention to the surroundings, with cold drinks, propane grills, sprinklers and pets each providing small comforts and revealing the quiet tempo of the days. Sohier’s observation that “images…gain a historical perspective over time that adds to their interest,” is proven true in this collection of black and white images.

Sage Sohier’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the International Center for Photography, New York; and the Art Institute of Chicago, among many other venues. Her photographs are included in the permanent collections of such institutions as the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Cleveland Museum of Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; and the Brooklyn Museum.