France, where he both taught and completed a
series on the urban and rural landscapes of the
region. The next year, he produced another land-
scape series from Scotland. His photography began
to stray from direct documentation, working at
times with multiple images that convey not only a
sense of place but also a sense of passing time. His
1985 photographs of U.S. Atlantic East Coast
beaches received a grant from the National Endow-
ment for the Arts in 1986. That same year, he
traveled to Hungary, his family’s place of origin,
where he produced both landscapes and portraits.
In 1988, he traveled to Hawaii researching and
photographing ruins of ancient temples locally
called ‘‘heiaus.’’
In 1990, he began working on a series of aban-
doned boots stuck on fence posts in Nebraska.
This series of photographs followed from his
explorations in Hawaii to photograph and under-
stand something about the traces of now-forgotten
rituals as well as from his first series of photo-
graphs on the Eastern Shore. With little informa-
tion to start with, Szabo operated as both
detective and explorer until he eventually discov-
ered clusters of boots in various parts of
Nebraska. It is unclear why the boots are there.
These photographs, like the work from the East-
ern Shore 20 years earlier, show man-made edi-
fices slowly relinquishing their presence to the
forces of nature that reclaim them.
As well as an accomplished fine-art photogra-
pher, Szabo was a prominent art educator. He
began teaching photography at the Corcoran School
of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1979. Many of his
students became accomplished photographers of
their own, and Szabo was a seminal figure in laying
the groundwork for the photography department at
the Corcoran.
His work is included in the collections of the
Museum of Modern Art, New York City; The
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; The Inter-
national Museum of Photography at George East-
man House, Rochester, New York; the National
Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.; and
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts,
among others.
BruceMcKaigBiography
Born July 17, 1940, in Berwick, Pennsylvania. Attended
Pennsylvania State University and the Art Center School
of Design in Los Angeles, California. Worked as a staff
photographer from 1966 to 1972 at theWashington Post.
Subsequently traveled, photographing urban and rural
landscapes. Taught photography at the Corcoran School
of Art in Washington, D.C. Diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis in 1992 and retired from teaching in 1994.
Died at age 59 in his home on May 18, 2000.Further Reading
Fralin, Frances.Washington Photography: Images of the
Eighties. Washington: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1982.
Szabo, Steven.The Eastern Shore. New Hampshire: Addi-
son House, 1976.
Protzman, Ferdinand. ‘‘Images Shot from the Heart.’’The
Washington Post(October 26, 1996): C2.
Seave, Ava. ‘‘Books.’’The Philadelphia Photo Review, Vol.
3 (January 1979).
Richard, Paul. ‘‘The Four Steve Szabos.’’The Washington
Post(September 27, 1986): C2.Steve Szabo, Boat, Wenona, 1971 from the Eastern Shore
Series.
[Courtesy Kathleen Ewing Gallery,#Steve Szabo]SZABO, STEVE