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The Arts Intel Report

Shirley Baker: A Different Age

June 22 – July 24, 2020

“I love the immediacy of unposed, spontaneous photographs,” says the celebrated photographer Shirley Baker, “and the ability of the camera to capture the serious, the funny, the sublime and the ridiculous.” For much of her career, Baker and her camera walked the cobbled streets of Manchester and Salford in search of such moments. Baker paid particular attention to the elderly, making portraits of dignity and melancholy. As her daughter, Nan Levy explains, this online exhibition highlights “simple things in daily life that sadly are not possible at the moment.” —E.C.

Shirley Baker, “Chester,” 1966. Courtesy of the Shirley Baker estate and James Hyman Gallery.