Fahey/Klein Gallery is presenting "Paul Outerbridge: Photographs," a landmark exhibition celebrating the visionary work of Paul Outerbridge (1896-1958), one of the most inventive and provocative photographers of the 20th century. The exhibition brings together a rare selection of Carbro prints, gelatin silver photographs, and platinum prints, tracing the evolution of a modernist whose bold vision helped redefine photography's possibilities through Cubist experimentation and radical abstraction.

Outerbridge established himself in the 1920s as a fearless innovator, transforming ordinary objects such as milk bottles, necklaces, and eggs into fragmented Cubist constructions that combined light and form. His platinum and gelatin silver prints reduced subjects to intersecting planes and geometric rhythms, revealing structural beauty that aligned with the avant-garde movements of his time. These works positioned him alongside artists and contemporaries such as Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and Edward Steichen, demonstrating his commitment to Cubism's challenge of fragmenting reality and reassembling it into pure abstraction.

In the 1930s, Outerbridge turned to the technically demanding Carbro process, creating some of the most vibrant and enduring color photographs of the era. Once again, abstraction served as his guiding principle. Color became a tool not only for description but also for reinventing form, flattening, faceting, and animating planes to create striking compositions that rivaled the abstract canvases of Picasso and Kandinsky. His photographs were acclaimed as both artistic and technical sensations.

As Outerbridge himself observed, "The very important difference between monochrome and color photography is this: in black and white, you suggest; in color, you state." This philosophy guided his approach to the medium throughout his career, as he consistently pushed the boundaries of what photography could achieve as an art form.

Throughout his career, Outerbridge explored abstraction as both a visual language and artistic philosophy. His still lifes, nudes, and commercial commissions all demonstrated his fascination with fractured planes, geometric tension, and the transformation of the mundane into the extraordinary. This consistent vision across different subjects and contexts established him as a true pioneer of photographic modernism.

Outerbridge's work gained widespread recognition through publication in prestigious magazines including Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, House Beautiful, and McCall's, as well as exhibitions around the world. After settling in Southern California in 1943, he continued to write and practice photography until his death in 1958. Today, his technical virtuosity, bold subject matter, and relentless pursuit of beauty secure his place as a pioneer who expanded the expressive possibilities of the photographic medium.

"Paul Outerbridge: Photographs" runs from September 25 to November 8, 2025, at Fahey/Klein Gallery, located at 148 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036. More information is available at www.faheykleingallery.com.