Lawrence Shprintz: A Work in Progress

A Work in Progress presents a lifelong dedication to the camera and medium of photography by American photographer Larry Shprintz (1927-2020). Larry took his first pictures with a Kodak 1927 folding camera and became a prolific photographer producing thousands of images throughout his lifetime. This exhibition surveys Shprintz's entire life's work, exploring many subjects, locations, and approaches. Highlighting his proficiency as an image-maker and expert printer, we can witness his progression through a practical, formal, and conceptual lens. It is an immense privilege to be sharing this collection with the University of Pennsylvania; a community Shprintz was an invaluable part of for over thirty years.   

Born in Philadelphia in 1927, Larry Shprintz attended South Philadelphia High School for Boys and entered the University of Pennsylvania Engineering School in 1944 (B.S.ChE 1950 University of Pennsylvania, M.S.ChE 1955 Drexel University). During his forty-year career as an engineer and executive, he was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Following his retirement and after 1992, Larry was a part of the Fine Arts Department as a student and faculty member.

While in high school and college, he photographed social events and sports for academic and local newspaper publications. The range of early work included teen fashion, advertising, catalog illustration, fine arts, and insurance records. During these formative years, Larry taught photography at the Antonelli School of Photography in Erdenheim, PA. His studies at Penn were interrupted when he enlisted in the military in the latter part of World War II. He served as a U.S. Army Photographer and became the head of photographic services for the Fourth Army.

After his service, Larry traveled extensively for work and vacation and photographed in numerous locations worldwide during his career as an engineer. 

After retirement, Larry redoubled his lifetime interest in sculpture and printmaking, and photography. His sculpture received the Jared Award (1990) and the Burrison Award (1991). His prints and photographs are in many private collections. As a printmaker at Penn for over 15 years, he participated in many print exhibitions. Solo exhibitions included "Mostly Masks" at the Morgan Gallery (2004) and "Origami Monoprints" at the Burrison Gallery (2007). In addition, he was honored to exhibit in Professor Hitoshi Nakazato's retirement retrospective (2007) at the Arthur Ross Gallery. He also took part in six Silverstein Studio Abroad programs: Beijing 2009, Mumbai 2011, Istanbul 2013, Berlin 2015, Havana 2017, and Tokyo 2019. 

Larry's photographic works showcase the medium's breadth from analog to digital with a keen sense of framing coupled with advanced technical proficiency. A Work in Progress pays tribute to a remarkable man: a beloved educator, technical assistant, student, friend, and ardent supporter of the University of Pennsylvania's Fine Arts Undergraduate Photography Program. He was a vital part of the community and has left a lasting impression.

If you require any accessibility accommodation, such as live captioning, audio description, or a sign language interpreter, please email news@design.upenn.edu to let us know what you need. Please note, we require at least 48 hours’ notice. If you register within 48 hours of this event, we won’t be able to secure the appropriate accommodations.