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Boston's Best Photography Galleries

Boston is a city filled with creative arts and culture. So it's no surprise that there's a wide variety of galleries to be found for those seeking a touch of art painted on canvas. However, if you like your artistic expression as seen through the camera lens, don't worry. Boston also has several top-notch photography galleries scattered throughout the city. These photography galleries may be fewer in number compared to their paint-on-canvas counterparts, but what they lack in quantity, they more than satisfy the arts aficionado in quality.
Panopticon Gallery
(credit: panopticongallery.com)

Panopticon Gallery
502C Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 267-8929
www.panopticongallery.com

Price: Free
Hours: Tues to Sat - 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Click here for a calendar of events.

if you're looking for a photography gallery that has elegance mixed with time-honored prestige and experience, you can't do better than the Panopticon Gallery. This well-respected facility is one of New England's oldest galleries that features fine arts photography. Panopticon opened it's doors for the first time in 1971, making it also one of the oldest galleries in the United States. Its unique location inside the city's Hotel Commonwealth provides a beautifully serene backdrop for displays of contemporary, modern and vintage photography. The gallery features works of not only established artists, but also new talent, with the goal of helping to nurture and expand their budding careers. Panopticon also helps experienced and novice collectors of photography buy, sell and locate that special gem that appeals to their individual tastes.

Cig Harvey
Exhibition of Cig Harvey's work will be on view at the Robert Klein Gallery from May 19 to June 23, 2012. (Photo by Cig Harvey)

Robert Klein Gallery 
38 Newbury St
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 267-7997
www.robertkleingallery.com

Price: Free
Hours: Tues to Fri - 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sat - 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Click here for a calendar of events

The Robert Klein Gallery has established it's reputation worldwide as a truly prestigious Boston showcase for fine art photography. Since it's opening in 1980, the gallery has made it's distinctive mark among collectors and fans by featuring the work of many top names in the photography field including Annie Leibovitz, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Hiroshi Sugimoto and many more. The gallery keeps its clientele interested and happy by maintaining a wide-ranging and always-evolving inventory of photographs from the 19th and 20th century, along with many contemporary pieces. The gallery also helps its current artists gain international exposure via its participation in respected international arts fairs. However, if you're a fan of the old masters of photography such as Ansel Adams, Helen Levitt and Irving Penn, this gallery is equally skilled at satisfying those tastes as well.

Related: Boston's Best Free Arts

Iris Gallery
(credit: irisgallery.net)

Iris Gallery of Fine Photography
129 Newbury St
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 895-8951
www.irisgallery.net

Price: Free
Hours: Mon to Sat - 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun - By appointment
Click here for a calendar of events.

Located on Boston's popular Newbury Street, The Iris Gallery stands out as a wonderful showcase for many respected international artists in the photography field. The gallery is known for it's ongoing exhibitions, where visitors can enjoy a vast array of limited-edition prints created by a diverse group of renowned photographers. The Iris Gallery specializes in featuring both black and white and color contemporary photographic works created within the past 30 years by established and emerging artists. This gallery prides itself on the mission to showcase exceptional photographic images in an environment where both the casual visitor and cherished client and collector can view the finest in contemporary photo expression by many skilled artists working behind the lens.

Griffin Museum of Photography
(credit: griffinmuseum.org)

Griffin Museum of Photography at Digital Silver Imaging

4 Clarendon St
Boston, MA
(781) 729-1158
www.griffinmuseum.org

Price: Adults - $5, Seniors - $2, Members and children under 12 - Free, Free for all on Thursdays
Hours: Tues to Thurs - 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fri - 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat and Sun - 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Click here for a calendar of events.

The Griffin Museum takes pride in being a non-profit organization that's dedicated to preserving and exhibiting some of the finest examples of photographic art. However, this museum offers visitors far more than simply exhibitions. Through a series of interesting programs and lectures, The Griffin Museum encourages visitors to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the visual, social and emotional impact of fine art photographic imagery. The museum also works hard to present exciting exhibits that showcase the talents of well-known photographers, as well as the works of creative newcomers who present important and thought-provoking ideas with their photographic expression.

PRC
(credit: prcboston.org)

Photographic Resource Center 
832 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 975-0600
www.prcboston.org

Price: Adults - $4, Seniors and students with I.D. - $2, Members - Free
Hours: Tues to Fri - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat - 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Click here for a calendar of events.

The Photographic Resource Center brings a unique and vibrant student touch to it's gallery. This independent, non-profit organization was founded in 1976 on the campus of Boston University. This location gives the PRC a youthful, creative energy to the several exhibitions hosted by the facility each year. With its emphasis on new, exciting ideas and trends that are emerging in contemporary photography, The PRC has been singled out by the Boston Globe newspaper as "one stop shopping for the photo buff." That honorable distinction is on display to both PRC members and the general public via the gallery's thought-provoking exhibitions, educational programs and workshops and other special events. It's this vibrant mix of photographic displays, student excitement and creative energy that makes the PRC one of Boston's finest hot spots for photographic art.

Related: Boston's Best Contemporary Art

Tim Estiloz is an experienced, two-time Emmy-winning TV journalist / performer with over a decade of covering entertainment news and features. Based in Boston, Tim is also a voting member of the prestigious Broadcast Film Critics Association which awards the annual Critics' Choice Awards in Hollywood. Tim has interviewed and profiled dozens of Hollywood's top Oscar-winning film and television actors, including Meryl Streep, Will Smith, Kate Winslet, Brad Pitt and more. Actor/director Ben Affleck also cast him for a speaking role as a TV reporter in his critically acclaimed film "Gone Baby Gone." Find his work on Examiner.com. Contact him direct at Estiloz@aol.com or follow him on Twitter @TimEstiloz


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