PHILADELPHIA - In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the University of Pennsylvania's Arthur Ross Gallery is presenting "Modern Latin American Culture: Annemarie Heinrich, Grande Dame of Argentine Photography" Aug. 26 through Oct. 15. The Gallery is located at 220 S. 34th St.

The exhibition explores the cultural influence and technical innovation of Heinrich, hailed as the Argentine Annie Leibovitz.  Heinrich was the main protagonist in Argentine photography, famous for her portraits of artists and stars that epitomize the heyday of radio and the ascent of the movie industry in Argentina.  The exhibition presents more than 70 photographs, including images of cultural figures such as Marian Anderson; Marlene Dietrich; Eva Duarte, an actress before marrying Juan Peron; Jorge Luis Borges; and Yehudi Menuhin.

In addition to her celebrity portraits, the exhibition highlights Heinrichs experimentation and innovation with lighting effects.  Heinrich emulated the dramatic lighting of black-and-white film utilizing double and prolonged exposure into the fields of fashion, landscape and nude photography.

"Annemarie Heinrich, Grande Dame of Argentine Photography" was created in collaboration with the Centro Cultural Recoleta, which mounted a major retrospective in Buenos Aires shortly before the artists death in 2005.  The works are made available through the cooperation of the Familia Heinrich/ Sanguinetti.  

The exhibition is made possible by a donation from Raj and Neera Singh and the Friends of the Arthur Ross Gallery.  

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.  Additional information is available at  www.upenn.edu/ARG/.