four decades of tina barney's photos of fabulous rich people

Rich Gang might have taken a few tips from Tina Barney for their infectious yet unintelligible summer hit Lifestyle. Since 1975, the photographer has been documenting candid moments in the lives of her family and friends, many of whom are pretty ballin' members of elite American and European society. Barney's lush large format film shots strike an electric balance between technical mastery and family photo album intimacy.

That's why you need to check out Barney's current show, Four Decades, before it wraps its run at New York's Paul Kasmin Gallery later this week. True to its name, Four Decades spans the length of Barney's image making oeuvre, from her Theater of Manners series--early snaps of sun soaked Americana--to later-career editorial work like The Limo. Featuring a few shots never before shown in the States, Four Decades is definitely worth a trip to the west side.

Four Decades runs through June 20 at Paul Kasmin Gallery, more information here.  

Text Emily Manning
Tina Barney, The Limo, 2006. chromogenic color print, 48 x 60 inches, 121.9 x 152.4 cm. Edition 2 of 10
All images (c) Tina Barney, courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery