Skip to content
A black and white photo of a white woman with crossed arms

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), Self-Portrait, Arms Crossed, Athens, Ohio, late May or early June 1970, gelatin silver print, The Nancy Rexroth Collection: Museum Purchase with funds provided by the Carl M. Jacobs Foundation, 2019.22, © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

A black and white photo of the shadow of a hand over a made bed

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), Hand, My Mother’s Bed, Arlington, Virginia, Summer 1970, digitally processed from film negative 2025. © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

A black and white photo of a bed

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), A Woman’s Bed, Logan, Ohio, 1970, gelatin silver print, The Nancy Rexroth Collection: Gift of The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust, 2021.186, © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

A black and white photo of trees with no leaves

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), Trees Crossing, New Lexington, Ohio, 1974, gelatin silver print, selenium toned, The Nancy Rexroth Collection: Museum Purchase through the generosity of Betsy and Paul Sittenfeld in Memory of Dr. James M. Marrs, 2021.51, © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

A sepia photo of the top of an open door

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), White Hole, Athens, Ohio, 1971, gelatin silver print, toned, The Nancy Rexroth Collection: Gift of The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust, 2021.195, © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

A sequence of black and white photos of a white woman's face

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), detail, (Untitled sequential frame Diana self-portrait, Athens, Ohio), 1970, gelatin silver film positive, The Nancy Rexroth Collection: Museum Purchase with funds provided by FotoFocus Art Purchase Fund, 2019.264b, © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

A black and white photo of a white man in an apartment

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), Tony Dressing, Washington, D.C., 1972, platinum print, The Nancy Rexroth Collection: Museum Purchase with funds provided by the Carl M. Jacobs Foundation, 2019.17, © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

A black and white portrait of a white woman looking down

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), Wynell Jones – Southern Beauty, from the series Women of Yellow Springs, 1978, platinum print, Collection of Fern M. Schad, © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

an abstract picture with curving shapes

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), Untitled, Yellow Springs, Ohio, #90, from the Cut Paper Series, April 1981, emulsion lift from internal dye diffusion print, The Nancy Rexroth Collection: Museum Purchase with funds provided by FotoFocus Art Purchase Fund, 2021.60, © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

a picture of a buried maze under papers

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), Maze, Yellow Springs, Ohio, #112, from the Cut Paper Series, 1982, emulsion lift from internal dye diffusion print, The Nancy Rexroth Collection: Museum Purchase with funds provided by the Carl M. Jacobs Foundation, 2019.67, © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

A color photo of the corner of a room with cave paintings on the wall

Nancy Rexroth (American, b. 1946), Lascaux Cave Wall, from the House Series, 2002, inkjet print, The Nancy Rexroth Collection: Museum Purchase with funds provided by the Carl M. Jacobs Foundation, 2019.69, © The 1988 Rexroth Family Trust

Previous Next

Nancy Rexroth: Secrets of My Power

October 2, 2026– January 3, 2027

Free admission
Friends of Photography

Nancy Rexroth: Secrets of My Power is the first career retrospective on the work of the American photographer revered for her singular and evocative 1977 photobook, IOWA. The exhibition and accompanying catalogue mark the public debut of The Nancy Rexroth Collection, an archive recently formed at the Cincinnati Art Museum that allows unprecedented and comprehensive insight into the artist’s life and work. Over 150 rare or unique photographs, personal effects, tools, and numerous previously unseen artworks tell a rich and surprising story of Rexroth’s powerful, unique, and steadfastly defiant vision, from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s to the early digital era. 

Nancy Rexroth: Secrets of My Power is organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum. A fully illustrated exhibition catalogue is available for purchase beginning October 2026.

 

Accessing the Exhibition

This exhibition employs new approaches to accessible interpretation and design, developed in consultation with community experts. Details will be provided in the coming months at this web address, on the museum’s social media channels, and via accessibility community networks.

 

Nancy Rexroth: Secrets of My Power is a featured exhibition for the 2026 FotoFocus Biennial: The Long View. Now in its eighth iteration, the Biennial activates over 70 exhibitions at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces throughout Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Northern Kentucky in October 2026—the largest of its kind in America. The Long View theme considers aspects of time and perspective in photography and film, and how these mediums shape our understanding of the world.

The Long View: 2026 Fotofocus Biennial

Nancy Rexroth: Secrets of My Power is funded in part by the Millstone Fund, FotoFocus, and the America 250-Ohio Commission.

Millstone Fund: Doing Good Turns for Others Fotofocus America 250 Ohio

 

Views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of the America 250-Ohio Commission.

Additional support provided by the Women’s Committee of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, and numerous individual donors.

Leonian: Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation