Lucy Sante on Larry Fink

Acclaimed author Lucy Sante gives a special talk at The Image Centre exploring Larry Fink’s role as a social photographer, examining both his social engagement and his commitment to documenting society. People and their interactions were central to Fink's work. Over a career spanning more than sixty years, he photographed debutante balls, Oscar parties, demonstrations, boxing matches, and his neighbours in rural Pennsylvania—all with bold framing and masterly chiaroscuro, and with urgency, immediacy, and deep human feeling. Lucy Sante is the author of Low Life, Evidence, The Factory of Facts, Kill All Your Darlings, Folk Photography, The Other Paris, Maybe the People Would Be the Times, Nineteen Reservoirs, Six Sermons for Bob Dylan, My Heart & I Agree, and I Heard Her Call My Name, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Other honours include a Whiting Writers' Award, an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Grammy Award for album notes, an Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography, a Windham-Campbell Prize, and fellowships from the Guggenheim and the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. She recently retired from Bard College after 24 years teaching writing and the history of photography. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition "Larry Fink: Social Graces & Runway" on view May 6–August 1, 2026. With support from Muus Collection.