September 1, 2010 — Deborah Willis of New York University, renowned as both a photographer and historian of photography, will give a lecture on Sept. 30 to accompany "Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens," an exhibit at the University of Virginia Art Museum.

Willis chairs the Department of Photography & Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University; she is also University Professor with the College of Arts and Sciences, Africana Studies, at the same institution She has published numerous books and exhibition catalogs dealing with African-American identity in photography, the imagery of African-American life and the work of black photographers.

Organized by International Arts and Artists, "Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens" presents photographs of African objects by the American artist Man Ray and his international avant-garde contemporaries of the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to providing fresh insight into Man Ray's photographic practice, the exhibition raises questions concerning the representation, reception, and perception of African art as mediated by the camera lens.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 5:30 p.m. in Campbell Hall, room 153. For information, call 434-243-2050 or e-mail museumoutreach@virginia.edu.