# Larry Sultan

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American photographer (1946–2009)

Larry Sultan Born July 13, 1946 Brooklyn, New York, US Died December 13, 2009(2009-12-13) (aged 63) Greenbrae, California, US Education University of California, Santa Barbara San Francisco Art Institute Occupations Photographer, professor Spouse Katherine Sultan Website larrysultan.com

**Larry Sultan** (July 13, 1946 – December 13, 2009) was an American photographer from the [San Fernando Valley](/source/San_Fernando_Valley) in [California](/source/California).[1] He taught at the [San Francisco Art Institute](/source/San_Francisco_Art_Institute) from 1978 to 1988 and at the [California College of the Arts](/source/California_College_of_the_Arts) in San Francisco 1989 to 2009.[1]

Sultan's books include *Evidence* (1977) with [Mike Mandel](/source/Mike_Mandel), *Pictures From Home* (1992) and *The Valley* (2004). A recipient of a [Guggenheim Fellowship](/source/Guggenheim_Fellowship), his work is exhibited in museums in the United States.

## Early life and education

Sultan was born on July 13, 1946, in [Brooklyn](/source/Brooklyn), [New York](/source/New_York_(state)) to a [Jewish](/source/American_Jews) family.[1][2][3][4] He grew up in the [San Fernando Valley](/source/San_Fernando_Valley), part of [Los Angeles, California](/source/Los_Angeles%2C_California),[1][5] where his parents moved when he was an infant.[2][3] He graduated from the [University of California, Santa Barbara](/source/University_of_California%2C_Santa_Barbara) with a bachelor's degree in political science, and received a master's degree in fine arts from the [San Francisco Art Institute](/source/San_Francisco_Art_Institute)[6] in [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco%2C_California).[7][8][9]

## Life and work

He started his career in the 1970s as a conceptual photographer.[3] In 1977, he published a collection of photographs he found in corporate and government archives called *Evidence* with fellow photographer [Mike Mandel](/source/Mike_Mandel).[2][7][3] *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* characterized *Evidence* as "a watershed in the history of art photography."[2] The two men also created billboards aimed at slowing down road traffic.[7][3] He then published *Pictures From Home*, a collection of photographs taken of his parents in the San Fernando Valley from 1982 to 1992,[10] whose role was to question societal expectations of gender and aging.[3] His 2004 assignment for *[Maxim](/source/Maxim_(magazine))*, which consisted of photographs of middle-class residences rented by the porn industry in the San Fernando Valley, led to another photographic series called *The Valley*.[2][3] He photographed [Paris Hilton](/source/Paris_Hilton) for *[Interview](/source/Interview_(magazine))* in his parents' bedroom in his childhood home.[3]

Sultan was an instructor of photography at his alma mater, the San Francisco Art Institute, from 1978 to 1988.[8] He then taught at the [California College of the Arts](/source/California_College_of_the_Arts) in San Francisco as Chair of the Photography Department from 1993 to 1999, and as distinguished professor of art from 1989 to 2009.[2][9]

He served on the board of trustees of the [Headlands Center for the Arts](/source/Headlands_Center_for_the_Arts) from 1992 to 1998.[8] At the time of his death he was the artist trustee at [San Francisco Museum of Modern Art](/source/San_Francisco_Museum_of_Modern_Art), a position he had taken up in the same year.[11]

He was married to Katherine Sultan, also known as Kelly Sultan.[2] He died of [cancer](/source/Cancer) on December 13, 2009, at his home in [Greenbrae, California](/source/Greenbrae%2C_California).[2]

## Publications

- Sultan, Larry; Mandel, Mike (1974). [*How to Read Music in One Evening*](https://books.google.com/books?id=pYGuAQAACAAJ). Clatworthy Colorvues.

- DeCoster, Miles; Metcalf, Paul; Klett, Mark; Sultan, Larry; Mandel, Mike (1989). [*Headlands: The Marin Coast at the Golden Gate*](https://books.google.com/books?id=kggSAQAAIAAJ). Albuquerque, New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780826311511](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780826311511).

- Sultan, Larry (1992). *Pictures From Home*. New York City, New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0810937215](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0810937215).

- Sultan, Larry (2004). [*The Valley*](https://books.google.com/books?id=xoRtQgAACAAJ). Zurich: Scalo. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9783908247791](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9783908247791).

- Sultan, Larry (2010). *Katherine Avenue*. Göttingen, Germany: Steidl. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3869301358](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3869301358).

- Sultan, Larry (2012). Zander, Thomas (ed.). [*Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel*](https://books.google.com/books?id=EmKtpwAACAAJ). New York City, New York: Distributed Art Publishers, Incorporated (D.A.P. Inc.). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781935202820](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781935202820).

- Morse, Rebecca (2014). *Larry Sultan: Here and Home*. Sandra Phillips (contributor), Philip Gefter (contributor). New York City, New York: Prestel USA. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3791353883](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3791353883).

- Sultan, Larry; Mandel, Mike (2017). [*Evidence*](https://books.google.com/books?id=4S0DMQAACAAJ). New York City, New York: Distributed Art Publishers, Incorporated (D.A.P. Inc.). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781942884149](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781942884149).

## Awards

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- 1976: Art in Public Places grant, [National Endowment for the Arts](/source/National_Endowment_for_the_Arts). With Mike Mandel

- 1977: Photographer’s Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts. With Mike Mandel

- 1980: Photographer’s Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts

- 1983: [Guggenheim Fellowship](/source/Guggenheim_Fellowship) from the [John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation](/source/John_Simon_Guggenheim_Memorial_Foundation)[12]

- 1986: Photographer’s Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts

- 1990: Fleishhacker Foundation Eureka Fellowship[13]

- 1991: Biennial Award, [The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation](/source/The_Louis_Comfort_Tiffany_Foundation)[14]

- 1992: Photographer’s Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts

## Exhibitions

### Solo exhibitions

- 2012–2013: *Larry Sultan's Homeland: American Story*, [Amon Carter Museum of American Art](/source/Amon_Carter_Museum_of_American_Art), Fort Worth, TX, October 2012 – January 2013.[15]

- 2014–2015: *Larry Sultan: Here and Home*, [Los Angeles County Museum of Art](/source/Los_Angeles_County_Museum_of_Art) (LACMA), Los Angeles, CA, November 2014 – May 2015;[16] [Milwaukee Art Museum](/source/Milwaukee_Art_Museum), Milwaukee, WI, October 2015 - January 2016.[17]

- 2014–2015: *Larry Sultan*, [Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst](/source/Stedelijk_Museum_voor_Actuele_Kunst), Ghent, Belgium, March-May 2015.

### Group exhibitions

- 1989: *Real Fictions: Recent Color Photographs by Bill Dane, John Harding and Larry Sultan*, [San Francisco Museum of Modern Art](/source/San_Francisco_Museum_of_Modern_Art). With [Bill Dane](/source/Bill_Dane) and [John Harding](/source/John_Harding_(photographer)), curated by [Sandra S. Phillips](/source/Sandra_S._Phillips).[18]

- 2011–2012: *Here*, [Pier 24 Photography](/source/Pier_24_Photography), San Francisco, CA, May 2011 – January 2012.[19]

- 2012–2013: *About Face*, Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco, CA, May 2012 – April 2013.[20]

- 2014–2015 *Secondhand*, Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco, CA, August 2014 – May 2015.[21]

## Collections

Sultan's work is held in the following permanent collections:

- [Art Institute of Chicago](/source/Art_Institute_of_Chicago), Chicago, IL: 33 prints (as of January 2021)[22]

- [Pier 24 Photography](/source/Pier_24_Photography), San Francisco, CA[23]

- [San Francisco Museum of Modern Art](/source/San_Francisco_Museum_of_Modern_Art), San Francisco, CA[24]

- [Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum](/source/Solomon_R._Guggenheim_Museum), New York City[1]

- [Tate Modern](/source/Tate_Modern), London[1]

- [Whitney Museum of American Art](/source/Whitney_Museum_of_American_Art), New York City[1]

## See also

- *[Pictures From Home](/source/Pictures_From_Home)*, a play written by [Sharr White](/source/Sharr_White) based on the book

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-riefe-guardian_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-riefe-guardian_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-riefe-guardian_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-riefe-guardian_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-riefe-guardian_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-riefe-guardian_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-riefe-guardian_1-6) Riefe, Jordan (3 May 2017). ["Larry Sultan: the artist-in-residence for America's middle-class suburbia"](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/may/03/larry-sultan-here-and-home-sf-moma-photos). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. Retrieved 16 May 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:0_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:0_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:0_2-7) Kennedy, Randy (2009-12-14). ["Larry Sultan, California Photographer, Dies at 63 (Published 2009)"](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/arts/14sultan.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0362-4331](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved 2021-01-16. Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Sultan was raised mostly in Los Angeles

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-jewishjournal_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-jewishjournal_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-jewishjournal_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-jewishjournal_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-jewishjournal_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-jewishjournal_3-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-jewishjournal_3-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-jewishjournal_3-7) Avishay Artsy, [Larry Sultan: Finding beauty photographing the mundane](https://www.jewishjournal.com/culture/article/larry_sultan_finding_beauty_photographing_the_mundane), *[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles](/source/The_Jewish_Journal_of_Greater_Los_Angeles)*, December 5, 2014

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Why Larry Sultan's Staged Pictures of Parents and Porn Stars Feel So Personal"](https://observer.com/2017/04/larry-sultan-parents-porn-stars-here-and-home-exhibition-sfmoma-review/). *Observer*. 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2021-01-16. Sultan's parents were Jews from Brooklyn who joined a huge migration west...

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Winant, Carmen (November 4, 2014). ["The Influence and Legacy of Larry Sultan"](https://time.com/3562317/the-influence-and-legacy-of-larry-sultan/). *Time*. Retrieved 2021-01-16. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946 to Jewish parents, he moved to the San Fernando Valley

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Larry Sultan : CV"](https://larrysultan.com/cv/). *Larrysultan.com*. Retrieved 2016-06-09.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nytimes_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nytimes_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-nytimes_7-2) Randy Kennedy, [Larry Sultan, California Photographer, Dies at 63](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/arts/14sultan.html?_r=0), *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*, December 14, 2009

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-wirtz_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-wirtz_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-wirtz_8-2) ["Larry Sultan Biography - Stephen Wirtz Gallery"](https://web.archive.org/web/20091012074211/http://www.wirtzgallery.com/bios/bio_sultan-2.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.wirtzgallery.com/bios/bio_sultan-2.html) on October 12, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-cca_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-cca_9-1) ["Larry Sultan - California College of the Arts"](https://www.cca.edu/academics/faculty/lsultan). [California College of the Arts](/source/California_College_of_the_Arts). Retrieved 9 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ohagan-observer_10-0)** [O'Hagan, Sean](/source/Sean_O'Hagan_(journalist)) (2 May 2017). ["Pictures from Home by Larry Sultan review – when Mom and Dad lived the dream"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/may/02/larry-sultan-pictures-from-home-review). *[The Observer](/source/The_Observer)*. Retrieved 16 May 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** "[SFMOMA mourns Larry Sultan](https://www.sfmoma.org/press/release/sfmoma-mourns-larry-sultan/)". [San Francisco Museum of Modern Art](/source/San_Francisco_Museum_of_Modern_Art), 16 December 2009. Accessed 30 May 2017

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["John Simon Guggenheim Foundation - Larry Sultan"](http://www.gf.org/fellows/all-fellows/larry-sultan/). [John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation](/source/John_Simon_Guggenheim_Memorial_Foundation). Retrieved 9 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Eureka Fellowship Program :: Past Grantees :: 1990"](http://www.fleishhackerfoundation.org/grants/eureka-fellowship-program/1990-2/). [The Fleishhacker Foundation](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Fleishhacker_Foundation&action=edit&redlink=1). Retrieved 2016-06-09.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["1999 Billenium Competition Artists Awards : 1991 Winners"](http://louiscomforttiffanyfoundation.org/previouswinners_1991.html). [The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation](/source/The_Louis_Comfort_Tiffany_Foundation). Retrieved 9 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Larry Sultan's Homeland: American Story - Amon Carter Museum of American Art"](https://www.cartermuseum.org/exhibitions/larry-sultans-homeland-american-story). [Amon Carter Museum of American Art](/source/Amon_Carter_Museum_of_American_Art). Retrieved 9 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["Larry Sultan: Here and Home - LACMA"](https://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/larry-sultan-here-and-home). [Los Angeles County Museum of Art](/source/Los_Angeles_County_Museum_of_Art). Retrieved 9 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["Larry Sultan: Here & Home, on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum from October 23, 2015–January 24. 2016"](https://mam.org/Larry-Sultan/). [Milwaukee Art Museum](/source/Milwaukee_Art_Museum). Retrieved 9 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** [Museum History: Timeline](https://web.archive.org/web/20081022131340/https://www.sfmoma.org/info/mushist_timeline.asp)", San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, as retrieved by the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) on October 22, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["Pier 24 Collection : Here"](https://pier24.org/exhibition/here/). [Pier 24 Photography](/source/Pier_24_Photography). Retrieved 2016-06-09.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["About Face - Pier 24"](https://pier24.org/exhibition/about-face/). [Pier 24 Photography](/source/Pier_24_Photography). Retrieved 9 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Secondhand at Pier 24 Photography"](https://lenscratch.com/2015/01/secondhand-at-pier-24-photography/). *Lenscratch.com*. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-09.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** ["Larry Sultan"](https://www.artic.edu/artists/50210/larry-sultan). *The Art Institute of Chicago*. Retrieved 2021-01-16.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** ["Pier 24 Collection : Pilara Foundation Collection"](https://pier24.org/collection/). [Pier 24 Photography](/source/Pier_24_Photography). Retrieved 2016-06-09.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** ["Search Results"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110816083528/http://www.sfmoma.org/pages/search). [San Francisco Museum of Modern Art](/source/San_Francisco_Museum_of_Modern_Art). Archived from [the original](https://www.sfmoma.org/pages/search/) on August 16, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2016.

## External links

- [Official website](http://www.larrysultan.com)

- [Photographs in the SFMOMA collection](http://www.sfmoma.org/pages/search?query=LArry%20Sultan&category=art)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States France BnF data Italy Czech Republic Netherlands Israel Artists ULAN RKD Artists Museum of Modern Art Photographers' Identities People DDB Other IdRef Open Library Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Larry Sultan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Sultan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Sultan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.