Survey show features more than 100 images from the iconic American photographer’s most prolific period

OCT. 1, 2025 (VANCOUVER, CANADA) — The Polygon Gallery presents Lee Miller: A Photographer at Work (1932–1945) from Nov. 7, 2025–Feb. 1, 2026. The blockbuster survey spans Lee Miller’s most pivotal and productive period: from her time as a highly sought-after studio portraitist to a commercial fashion photographer, after which she served a critical role as the World War II correspondent for the British edition of Vogue. More than 100 images reveal the behind-the-scenes dynamics of an artist managing a photography career amid the barriers facing professional women at the time — offering a richly layered, complex portrait of this celebrated photojournalist. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Lee Miller Archives (England), and was previously presented during Les Rencontres d’Arles (France) and at The Image Centre (Toronto).

“There is a long history of women’s work being made invisible or excluded from the canon of photography history, and while Lee Miller’s name has been known for years in association with the Surrealist Man Ray, something was always missing in her narrative,” says Gaëlle Morel, the exhibition’s curator and Exhibitions Curator at The Image Centre. “The time is right to finally complicate and deepen our understanding of this important photographer. The exhibition isn’t about mythologising an artist, but about providing Miller due credit. She made an indelible impact on our visual culture through all of her endeavours, from her creative work to her unflinchingly honest photographs from the warfront.”

“In partnership with the Lee Miller Archives, The Image Centre in Toronto has done a remarkable job highlighting the arc of Miller’s storied career as an accomplished professional photographer,” says Elliott Ramsey, Curator of The Polygon Gallery. “We’re excited to share this work — its historical impact and contemporary resonance — with audiences on the West Coast.”

Lee Miller: A Photographer at Work (1932–1945) spans three sections: Miller’s in-studio portraiture, her fashion photography for Vogue, and her photojournalism work documenting the advancement of Allied forces into Europe. The exhibition also includes archival materials: a selection of vintage publications — including the spreads from historical issues of Vogue that show how Miller’s war photographs first reached the general public — personal correspondence, and selected self-portraits.

Born in 1907 in Poughkeepsie, New York, Miller first entered the world of photography as a high fashion model in the 1920s, working with the likes of Edward Steichen, George Hoyningen-Huene, and Arnold Genthe. She moved to Paris in 1929 to work with the Surrealist artist Man Ray, establishing her own photographic studio not long after.

Relocating to London just before the outbreak of WWII, Miller took a job as a photographer for Vogue. In her role as a war correspondent, she was embedded with the US Army, traveling alongside LIFE photographer David E. Scherman. Miller was one of the only women photojournalists covering the frontlines, documenting the siege of St. Malo, the battles for Luxembourg and Alsace, and eventually the liberation of the Buchenwald and Dachau Concentration Camps. Following the war, Miller continued contributing to Vogue, capturing portraits of renowned artists Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, amongst others. Her family later relocated to Farleys, England, where she became an award-winning cook for her Surrealism-inspired dishes, and where her archives are housed today.

For more information, visit thepolygon.ca/exhibition/Lee-Miller.

Curated by Gaëlle Morel, The Image Centre

Generously supported by
The Andrew Gruft Fund for Photography Exhibitions

Demetrios Babalos
Pauline and Bernie Hadley-Beauregard
Maureen and Larry Lunn
Iain Mant
Munford Family Foundation
Karen Nishi and Michael Bruce
George Seslija and Dr. Marla Kiess
Andrew and Yasmeen Strang
John and Jennifer Webb

Opening celebration
Thursday, November 6 at 7:00pm
Featuring remarks remarks from Ami Bouhassane, granddaughter of Lee Miller and Co-Director of the Lee Miller Archives
RSVP Here

Guided tours (available in French, Farsi, Cantonese and Mandarin on request)
Every Saturday at 1:30pm or email tours@thepolygon.ca

Press contact
Ines Min
+1 604 440 0791
ines@inesmin.com

Banner image: Lee Miller, Entrance to concentration camp, Buchenwald, Germany 1945. © Lee Miller Archives, England 2025. All rights reserved..