Stephen Shore Donates 800 Photos to Vancouver

The donation was made by the Chan family, prominent philanthropists in Vancouver. This gift establishes the Vancouver Art Gallery as home to one of the most extensive collections of Shore's "Uncommon Places" series in the world. The "Uncommon Places" series was created during Shore's road trips across North America between 1973 and 1981. The work is considered a landmark in establishing color photography as a legitimate fine art form. Stephen Shore's career began at a young age; the Museum of Modern Art in New York purchased three of his photographs when he was just 14. By 23, he became the second living photographer to have a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. From 1965 to 1967, Shore was a regular at Andy Warhol's studio, The Factory, documenting the scene and its notable figures. This early work captured a pivotal moment in American art and culture. This acquisition is the largest donation of U.S. photography to the Vancouver Art Gallery since it received 556 photographs by Harry Callahan in 2014. The gallery's collection holds over 13,000 works in total. A selection of the donated photographs, including some never publicly exhibited before, will be displayed in an exhibition titled "Stephen Shore: Uncommon Places," opening on March 27, 2026. The exhibition will also highlight the photographs Shore took in Canada during his travels.