Alec Soth

Alec Soth was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1969. He pursued his education at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. Soth gained early recognition for his photographic work, which often features landscapes and portraits, and has been described as exploring the “off-beat, hauntingly banal images of modern America.” His career began to garner significant attention with his self-printed book, “Sleeping by the Mississippi,” released in 2004. This project led to his inclusion in the 2004 Whitney Biennial, where one of his photographs, “Charles,” became a prominent image for the exhibition.

Soth became a nominee of Magnum Photos in 2004 and achieved full membership in 2008. He has since published over 25 books, including notable works such as “Niagara” (2006) and “Broken Manual.” His work has been exhibited in over 50 solo shows and survey exhibitions, including significant showcases at the Jeu de Paume in Paris (2008), the Walker Art Center in Minnesota (2010), Media Space in London (2015), and the Museum of Modern Art in Hayama (2022). Soth’s photography style involves working with a large-format 8×10-inch camera, enabling a detailed approach to his subjects. In 2010, he founded Little Brown Mushroom, a multimedia enterprise dedicated to visual storytelling and publishing.

Throughout his career, Soth has received numerous accolades, including the 2003 Santa Fe Prize for Photography, a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2013, and an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 2021. His photographs are part of the permanent collections of major institutions such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the Walker Art Center. Soth continues to contribute to the photography world through his creative projects and publishing endeavors.