backstory: A great loss
I first met John Shearer toward the end of 2017. My friend and Purchase College colleague, Pete Malinverni, had brought John and his work to my attention. “He took the John John photo. You know, the one where he’s saluting at his father’s funeral.” Huh? “And he lives right here in Westchester.” Huh?
We invited John in for a first meeting, to look at his work and to discuss the possibility of a project. A dapper man with impeccable manners and a boyish smile, we knew at once that we wanted to work with him. That instinct was affirmed when he said to me: “You know, it’s always been a dream of mine to have a show at the Neuberger.” I was humbled.
Pete had mentioned one other thing to me… he said, “You might need to hurry if you want to do the show. John’s not well.” Museums don’t generally hurry, but I’m so glad that we did. It was a true privilege to be able to work with John so closely on American Moments at the Neuberger, to see him enjoy the process, the exhibition, and talking about his work at the museum.
A gentleman. A legendary photographer. Rest in peace, friend.
Tracy Fitzpatrick, Director
Neuberger Museum of Art