The golden haired president was adored by millions, and now an exhibit will offer a glimpse into John F. Kennedy’s life – right here on our doorstep.
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The photograph exhibit, American Visionary: John.F Kennedy’s Life and Times will debut at the Maitland Regional Art Gallery on Saturday.
Gallery director Brigette Uren said the exhibit examines the golden boy of the United States, who would fascinate people in life and death.
“It is about JFK’s rise to power, and traces his family background. It’s about the man before he was in power,” she said.
“It looks at how he rose into it, but also how he and Jacqueline cemented this new vision of what America’s future could look like – bright, dazzling, energetic.
“The youthful ambition and energy that America is known for did come about from that era that JFK created.
“I think that’s why people have this fascination with him because he is both visionary powerhouse, and representative of a new era.”
The show, based on the book JFK: A Vision for America, will feature 77 framed photographs culled from Getty Images, noted photojournalist archives and Kennedy Presidential Library collections of over 36,000 images along with a selection of ephemera.
“There was no other president photographed as much as JFK,” Ms Uren said.
“This exhibit can be looked at in so many different ways but obviously photojournalism capturing a president in a way that’s never been documented before is absolutely extraordinary in its own right.
“The JFK era really did set the benchmark for our populace politics that have been playing out over the 21st century.”
The most exhaustively researched group of Kennedy photos ever assembled, the exhibition celebrates the life, political career, and extraordinary vision of the president.
“The exhibition is told in three parts,” Ms Uren said.
“It’s interesting how these images are displayed because they are much like the family portraits at home. It makes people more able to relate to them. America grew up knowing the Kennedy family. They’re the equivalent of the royal family.”
The gallery is the last stop for the travelling exhibition, which will open on Saturday and exhibit until February 17, 2019.