Alex Prager: “La Grande Sortie” at Lehmann Maupin

Alex Prager (American, b.1979) is a gifted photographer and filmmaker who was born in Los Angeles, CA. Prager was raised by unconventional parents, who trusted her to learn about life on her own rather than forcing her to attend schools. At the age of 14, Prager dropped out of school and obtained employment at the knife shop of a friend’s aunt in Switzerland. Much of her spare time was spent touring Europe by train, which provided her with an exquisite eye for detail and observation.

Upon her return to America, the artist came across an exhibition by William Eggleston (American, b.1939). She was so taken by Eggleston’s incredible color photography that she purchased all of the photographic and darkroom equipment necessary to be a photographer. Six months after deciding to try her hand at photography, Prager had her first exhibition, where a photograph that was inspired by The Wizard of Oz became the first photograph that she sold. Prager’s works show strong influences from Enrique Metinides(Mexican, b.1934) and Weegee (Arthur Fellig) (American, 1899–1968).