Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York is set to present Danny Lyon: The Texas Prison Photographs, a comprehensive exhibition depicting the realities of incarceration through the lens of one of the 20th century’s most significant documentary photographers. This survey marks Lyon’s first exhibition with the gallery following the announcement of his representation by the firm. The presentation will feature a curated selection of photographs, films, drawings, and archival ephemera produced during the artist’s immersion in the Texas penal system in the late 1960s.
Lyon’s work during this period is frequently cited as a defining moment in the “New Journalism” movement, characterized by a radical, participatory approach that rejected the detached observation of traditional reportage. His methodology was rooted in deep involvement with his subjects; as the artist explained, “I was a participant who also happened to be a photographer.” This philosophy is central to the upcoming exhibition, which documents a fourteen-month period beginning in 1967 when Lyon secured unprecedented access to seven Texas penitentiaries.
With the freedom to enter the facilities at any hour, Lyon photographed inmates in their cells, during labor in fields and factories, in cafeterias, and during moments of isolation and shakedowns. The project yielded raw, empathetic images of marginalized individuals, culminating in the 1971 publication of the photobook Conversations with the Dead. The publication was among the first to blend personal perspective with documentary storytelling, incorporating prison records, letters, and drawings alongside the photographs to provide a holistic view of the carceral state.
Reflecting this multidisciplinary practice, the exhibition will showcase primarily vintage prints alongside select modern works, original artwork by incarcerated individuals, and audio interviews. Notably, the gallery will present unpublished pictures from Lyon’s visits to the Goree Unit, the women’s penitentiary in Texas, on view for the first time. These images, along with 16mm film footage, highlight the intimate relationships Lyon forged with inmates and underscore his intent to create a “shattering portrait of oppression and futility.”
Lyon, born in Brooklyn in 1942, began his career as the first photographer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and has works in major collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Concurrent with the gallery exhibition, the artist’s non-fiction films, such as Willie and works documenting undocumented laborers, will be presented at Metrograph and the Roxy Cinema.
The exhibition is scheduled to open with a reception attended by the artist on December 5, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and will remain on view through January 31, 2026.
