Sally Mann (American, b. 1951) Untitled (Antietam #18)

Provenance Note: Charles E. Balbach (1934-2024) was a respected Western New York civic leader, arts patron, and dedicated collector whose leadership left a lasting mark on the region’s cultural institutions. A graduate of Harvard University, Balbach combined intellectual rigor with a deep commitment to public service and philanthropy. He served for more than two decades on the board of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery), including a term as President of the Board. During his tenure, he helped guide long-range planning initiatives and strengthen institutional stewardship at a pivotal moment in the museum’s evolution. A thoughtful and disciplined collector, Balbach believed strongly in public access to art and in the responsibility of collectors to support the institutions that sustain cultural life. His legacy reflects a lifetime of civic engagement, connoisseurship, and enduring dedication to the arts.

Sally Mann (American, b. 1951)
Sally Mann is an acclaimed photographer best known for her evocative black-and-white portraits and landscapes rooted in the American South. Born in Lexington, Virginia, Mann earned her BA and MA from Hollins College before working as an architectural photographer for Washington and Lee University in the 1970s. She gained international attention for her landmark series Immediate Family (1984-1994), intimate and often controversial photographs of her children that explore the fragile threshold between childhood and adolescence. Mann has also produced influential bodies of work examining Southern landscapes and history, frequently employing large-format cameras and 19th-century techniques such as wet collodion, resulting in images marked by scratches, light leaks, and an intentionally antique quality. Her photographs are held in major museum collections including The Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and she continues to live and work in Lexington, Virginia.