ArtistsDanny Lyon
Danny Lyon

Danny Lyon

American, 1942
Brooklyn, NY, USA
PhotographyNaive Art
Representation
None documented
3
Institutional Exhibitions
216
Works in Collection
263
Assets Indexed
3
Authority-backed Facts
0
Publications Referenced
80%
Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Movements
  • Naive Art
Related Artists
No edges recorded
Influence Graph
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Selected Institutional Exhibitions

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No image
Mirrors and Windows: American Photography Since 1960
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1978
No image
Steichen Gallery Reinstallation
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1971
No image
The Photographer's Eye
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1964
About

Why this artist matters now

Danny Lyon considers himself a photojournalist, and his work, a brand of advocacy journalism; Lyon devotes his career to documenting the demonstrations of social activism in which he has immersed himself. A self-taught photographer, Lyon was first introduced to the medium as a staff photographer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, photographing civil rights demonstrations against segregation in the American South. His other subjects have included the Chicago Outlaw Motorcycle Club (of which he was part for two years), the Texas prison system, the Occupy movement, and the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan. His work was perhaps most strongly influenced by the 1941 publication Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, featuring text by James Agee and photographs by Walker Evans.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 25d ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement
Naive Art
Medium
Photography
Related Artists
12 in graph
Institutional

Museum Collections

Canonical record

Artworks (216)

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Record

Images

Artsy artist portrait
Artsy
St. Charles Streetcar, New Orleans, Louisiana (Art Institute of Chicago)
Art Institute of Chicago
St. Charles Streetcar, New Orleans, Louisiana (Art Institute of Chicago)
Art Institute of Chicago
Record

Movements and affiliations

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection
Art Institute of Chicago
In collection
Cleveland Museum of Art
In collection
Museum of Modern Art
New York, US
In collection
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
In collection
Whitney Museum of American Art
Market

Auction sale history

Houses that have sold works by this artist at auction
Market

Auction History

Range: $1,875$52,920
WorkAuction HouseDateEstimateHammer Price
UntitledArtsyMar 2026$1,000 – $1,500Unsold
Uptown, 1965Christie'sSep 2025$18,000 – $22,000$15,240
Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement, 1962-64Christie'sApr 2025$30,000 – $40,000$52,920
Bikeriders Portfolio, 1962-1967Christie'sMar 2024$40,000 – $60,000Unsold
Crossing the Ohio, 1966Christie'sMar 2022$4,000 – $6,000$6,930
Weight Lifters, Ramsey Unit, Texas Prison, 1968Christie'sMar 2022$3,000 – $5,000$3,528
Knoxville, 1967Christie'sMar 2022$3,000 – $5,000$12,600
Arrest on Federal Building Steps, Selma, Alabama, 1963Christie'sMar 2022$4,000 – $6,000$4,032
Segregated Drinking Fountain, County Courthouse, Albany, GA, 1962Christie'sMar 2022$5,000 – $7,000Unsold
Wynn Unit, 1967-1969Christie'sOct 2021$3,000 – $5,000Unsold
Showing 10 of 20 results
Record

Exhibitions and timeline