VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

Alexander Artway’s Photography: Light & Legacy

Featuring the Photography of Alexander Artway

and Katie Butterfield Tackman

Curated by Amie Potsic

Original Exhibition Dates: September 2 – 28, 2025

Location: Old City Jewish Art Center, 119 N 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (Empire State Building & Part of the News Building, NY),* Silver Gelatin Print, 17” x 12 1/2”, c. 1935

Alexander Artway, born March 25, 1903, in Gomel, Belarus, Russia, embarked on his artistic journey in photography after arriving in New York City in 1922, following tumultuous years in the White Army and exile in Europe. Despite the challenges of urban life, he found solace behind the lens, capturing the city's evolving skyline and the intricacies of daily life. As a captain in the Merchant Marines, he traveled the world, immortalizing the beauty of skies, clouds, and oceans. Artway's passion for architecture led him to pursue a degree at NYU, all while documenting the city's dynamic landscape.

Artway's meticulously archived photographs, inherited by his daughter Jeanette Artway Jimenez, serve as a testament to his adventurous spirit and immigrant journey.

Remembering the harrowing moment she acquired his photographs, Jimenez recalled, “My father died suddenly of a heart attack on August 25, 1963 at the age of 60. I was twenty-one and living on my own at college. I had one hour to return home and take a few of his possessions. I picked a battered suitcase filled with photographs he had taken and his camera. I have kept this suitcase with me throughout my life, moving it from apartments to houses, across the country and back.”

Now brought to light, Artway’s photographs offer a window into resilience and adaptation, spanning continents and cultures. From the vibrant streets of New York to poignant scenes in his homeland, Artway's images weave a narrative of triumph amidst adversity.

This exhibition pairs Artway’s historic photographs with photographer Katie Tackman’s collage-collaborations, bridging past and present through visual dialogue. Tackman’s work extends Artway’s imagery into new narratives of memory, history, and belonging. Today, Artway’s legacy endures, resonating with the trials and triumphs of an extraordinary life lived across borders.

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (Grand Central Station Window, NY),* Silver Gelatin Print, 11 1/4” x 9”, c. 1930

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (Lena by a Cherry Tree, NY),* Silver Gelatin Print, 9” x 12”

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (Brooklyn Bridge, NY),* Silver Gelatin Print, 12 1/2” x 9 1/4”, c. 1930

Jeanette Jimenez, daughter of Alexander Artway, Installation View, 2025

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (Blimp Over Beach, NJ) ,* Archival Pigment Print on Canvas, 24” x 36”, c. 1945

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (Fire & Water Tower),* Silver Gelatin Print, 4 ½” x 7”, c. 1930

© Alexander Artway, *NY, Times Square,* Silver Gelatin Print, 4 ½” x 7”, c. 1930

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (Lena, Central Park, NY),* Silver Gelatin Print, 11” x 8”, c. 1930

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (Steamy Streets, Park Avenue, NY),* Silver Gelatin Print, 8 1/4” x 6”, c. 1935

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (The Normandie),* Silver Gelatin Print, 8” x 6”, 14” x 11”, c. 1930

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (Elderly Woman, Russia),* Silver Gelatin Print, 11” x 8”, 20” x 16”, c. 1930

© Alexander Artway, *Untitled (Long Manhattan Shadow, NY),* Silver Gelatin Print, c. 1930

© Katie Tackman and Alexander Artway, Artway Collage 3 Archival Pigment Print, 16” x 20”, 2025

© Katie Tackman and Alexander Artway, Artway Collage 5, Archival Pigment Print, 16” x 20”, 2025

artist profile video

Alexander Artway's incredible history and artistry is revealed in this video featuring Jeanette Artway Jimenez, daughter of the photographer. Alexander Artway’s photography and life reflects resilience, reinvention, and the immigrant experience. Conscripted into the White Army before fleeing Europe wounded, Artway arrived at Ellis Island in 1922 and immersed himself in the vibrant, ever-changing cityscape of New York. He photographed its rising skyscrapers, bustling streets, and quiet corners with a discerning eye, later expanding his vision across the world as a captain in the Merchant Marines. His archive—meticulously preserved by his daughter, Jeanette Artway Jimenez—contains over 3,000 vintage prints and 4,000 negatives, many hidden for decades in a battered suitcase that became a vessel of family history and cultural memory.

PRESS

September 10, 2025

Amie Potsic interviewed Jeanette Artway Jimenez—an educator, cultural steward, and daughter of photographer Alexander Artway, a European immigrant who documented his life and experiences through a striking visual record of photographs, and Katie Tackman, Manager of the Artway Artchive.

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VIRTUAL EXHIBITION﻿

Alexander Artway’s Photography: Light & Legacy

artist profile video

PRESS

VIRTUAL EXHIBITION