The Latino List: Photographs by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Beginning in 2010, contemporary American portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (born 1952) launched a portrait and documentary series investigating the vibrant culture of Hispanic America. Eventually numbering thirty-one portraits, The Latino List presents a gallery of influential Latinos, both native-born and naturalized citizens, who have made indelible contributions to American culture, business, politics, music, sports, and public service.

The photographs are complemented by two documentaries containing first-person interviews with the sitters, produced for HBO in collaboration with journalist Maria Hinojosa (American, born Mexico, 1961), which are also on view in the exhibition.

Although previously exhibited in Brooklyn and Atlanta, this presentation in San Antonio has special resonance for our community. Three of the sitters have strong ties to the city and to South Texas, as either natives or longtime residents.

Throughout his career, Greenfield-Sanders has explored identity and community. His works invite viewers to ask how we define ourselves and are defined by others. Is there an essential communal identity? At the same time, his large-format, candid portraits celebrate their sitters’ individual characters. Previous series include The Black List (2008), a collection of contemporary African American sitters; Injured Soldiers (2008); About Face (2012), portraits of female models; The Women’s List (2015); and The Trans List (2017). He has also made award-winning documentaries including Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart (1998), which won a Grammy Award for Best Long-Form Video.

All the photographs in The Latino List are the promised gift of Hiram Butler and Andrew Spindler-Roesle to the Museum in honor of Museum Trustee Banks R. Smith.