Gordon Parks: "Selected Works 1942-1978" exhibition highlights segregation era

This image provides a strong metaphor: an African-American man emerging from the underground in a nation where racial segregation laws – in place until 1964 – meant there were no equal rights for black people. Gordon Parks was born into these unfortunate circumstances himself, growing up in extreme poverty. He barely managed to get by as an unskilled worker and later as a pianist at a brothel.

Born in Fort Scott, Kansas in 1912, Parks was exposed to violence and gang warfare on a daily basis. His images capture the brutal reality of these experiences. In 1948, he took this photograph in Harlem, New York, around the time he started to work for "Life" magazine as the first African-American staff photographer.

One of Gordon Parks' trademarks was his keen eye for image composition. His pictures have the ability take on poetic dimensions, even when depicting everyday situations. Beyond photography, Parks' interests also included music, with his works displaying a certain fondness for "semi-tones". It would appear that Gordon Parks was a keen observer of the in-between.

Among the jobs that Parks had to take on as an unskilled worker were stints at drugstores and bars. He got to know the clientele extremely well and often managed to develop relationships – and an equal footing – with cowboys, farm hands and everyday people from the white community. This image from 1945 bears witness to that rapport.

This photograph illustrates ordinary life was like for African-Americans under segregation, which was rife in the 1950s and 60s. Forced to use separate entrances to hotels and department stores, or to sit on separate seats on buses, African-Americans even had their own movie theaters. US President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964 to end segregation - at least on paper.

Gordon Parks' work as a photojournalist at "Life" magazine meant that the social issues he covered sometimes ended up on the front page. Parks was in touch with the main leaders of the Civil Rights Movement: Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, Muhammed Ali, and top representatives from the Black Panther Party all had their pictures taken by Parks.

Parks was also well-known for his portraits often commissioned by rich elites who were attracted to his unconventional images. His depictions often look like film stills – like in this image of a bathing suit model at Malibu Beach in California. Indeed, Parks went on to have great success as a director and score composer as well. His 1972 film "Shaft" gained wide recognition – and an Oscar.