America in Crisis

As part of an exciting new partnership with the Saatchi Gallery, the American Museum & Gardens presents America in Crisis in our Exhibition Gallery from 11 March to 4 July 2023.

Take the rare opportunity to see this major American photography exhibition on its first and only showing outside of London.

America in Crisis brings together over 80 works from 39 top American photographers, exploring social change in the US through the lens of a diverse group of artists from the 1960s till today.

Experience events close-up, with incredible photography capturing different perspectives during tumultuous times, and get involved with the interactive, immersive displays exploring image classification and consumption.

The exhibition was originally a ground-breaking Magnum Photos project, created in 1969 to assess the state of the nation in a photography exhibition and book. Saatchi Gallery curated this revised version, now in Bath, combining the historical images with those captured by a diverse group of current photographers. Leading photographic artists from 1968, such as Bruce Davidson, Elliott Erwitt and Mary Ellen Mark, are exhibited together with the works of contemporary practitioners, including Kris Graves, Balazs Gardi, Zora J Murff, Sheila Pree Bright and Stacy Kranitz, all confronting the idea of the American Dream versus the reality of events on the ground. Don’t miss this important and timely exhibition, with opportunities for reflection and dialogue on current events in comparison to the 1960s – two periods of great social change. America in Crisis is curated by Sophie Wright, Gregory Harris from Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, and LA-based photographer Tara Pixley.

Featured Artists

Exhibition Events