Museum of Photographic Arts

Visitors can see works from the entire history of the medium-daguerreotypes and album prints from the 19th century, Pictorialism to Modernism and contemporary works, and photojournalism by renowned photographers working today. MoPA also presents film from the history of the medium in its state-of-the-art theater. Here is a look at some of the features of the museum’s permanent collection:

• Inside Out: Portraits from the Permanent Collection: Author Richard Brilliant writes, "Making portraits is a response to the natural human tendency to think about oneself, of oneself in relationship to others, and of others in apparent relation to themselves...", and this exhibit explores the portrait as just that. Daguerreotypes and many famous portraits are on display.
• Imagine That!: This collection highlights the works of artists who attempt to capture movements and sensations not accessible to the human eye without the aid of photography. The viewer’s commonly-understood ideas of photography are challenged, showing that these artists see the camera not as an extension of the human eye, but as a totally different eye altogether.
• Face to Face: Portraits from the Bank of America Collection: This exhibit explores the nation’s largest collection of corporate photography, featuring unique portraits and daguerreotypes from centuries gone by, as well as portraits by masters of the medium such as Yousuf Karsh, Lisette Model, Tina Barney, Rineke Dijkstra, Walker Evans and Richard Avedon.

Anyone with a penchant for photography (and what tourist doesn’t have a one?) will want to stop by MoPA to explore this relatively modern medium and to put the history of photography in chronology. A trip here will help you understand the ins and outs of the medium, and show you that photography not only lends a visual quality to our attempts to understand history, but also more abstract concepts that baffle the human mind.

The Museum of Photographic Arts Shop sells a cool range of photographic accessories and items for aficionados, from cameras to hardcover photography collections. Visitors can also stop in at MoPA’s in-house theater to catch a showing.

The mission of the Museum of Photographic Arts is “to inspire, educate and engage the broadest possible audience through the presentation, collection, and preservation of photography, film and video.”

Visitors will agree that this institution is meeting those goals! Stop by MoPA on your visit to San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park and learn why a picture is worth a thousand words.