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Philip-Lorca diCorcia, “Igor,” 1987, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, promised gift of Beth and Anthony Terrana. ©Philip-Lorca diCorcia.

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PHILIP-LORCA DICORCIA PHOTOGRAPHS AT INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, BOSTON w/1 cut

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BOSTON, MASS. — The second major temporary exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston’s new waterfront museum will present photographs by Philip-Lorca diCorcia, on view June 1–September 3.

The exhibition, the largest museum survey of his work to date, features 125 photographs, dating from the late 1970s to the present, with many from diCorcia’s best-known series — including “Hollywood Blvd,” “Streetworks” and “Heads.”

“Philip-Lorca diCorcia, who was part of the ICA’s groundbreaking exhibitions ‘The Boston School’ and ‘Chic Clicks,’ is a key force in contemporary photography,” says Jill Medvedow, director of the Institute of Contemporary Art. “He has emerged as one of the most important American photographers of the past 30 years.”

“DiCorcia’s photographs are like carefully prepared enigmas,” says Bennett Simpson, associate curator at the ICA. “They are full of cinematic affect, marrying human drama with technical experiment.”

The exhibition begins with diCorcia’s work from the late 1970s and 1980s, when he staged his friends and family in domestic tableaux imbued with existential mystery. In the 1990s, he turned to the great American tradition of street photography — after Walker Evans, Robert Frank, and Gary Winogrand — and made some of his best-known images, including the “Hollywood Blvd” photographs of male hustlers; the “Streetworks” photographs of strangers in urban spaces around the world; and the large-scale closeups of passersby he called the “Heads.”

More recently, diCorcia embarked on a project called “Storybook Life,” a book and exhibition containing 76 photographs from all periods of his career, many of them never before seen. An experiment in photo-editing, “Storybook Life” will be presented in its entirety at the ICA; this will be the first time it has been shown in the United States outside of New York. Also included is “Lucky Thirteen,” diCorcia’s recent group of photographs depicting erotic dancers in compositions resembling classical sculpture.

The exhibition “Philip-Lorca diCorcia” will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog.

An artist talk featuring diCorcia in conversation with curator Bennett Simpson will take place Friday, June 1, at 6:30 pm. DiCorcia will talk about the ideas behind his work and hit techniques in realizing them, expanding on the concept behind the exhibition. Tickets are $15 general admission; $12 students and seniors at www.icaboston.org, 617-478-3103, or at the box office during regular museum hours.

The Institute of Contemporary Art, is at 100 Northern Avenue. For information, www.icaboston.org or 617-478-3100.