John Cleary Library
The John Cleary Library is currently undergoing reorganization and closed to the public.
Please check back soon for updates. We anticipate re-opening the library in late 2023.
© Nico Daniels
Houston Center for Photography’s John Cleary Library is home to more than 3,800 books on photography and related subjects.
A source of inspiration for HCP’s Learning Center, it is a comfortable place where all are welcome to enjoy photography in book form and share John Cleary’s passion for photography. The non-circulating library includes monographs, surveys, exhibition catalogs, instructional books, periodicals, and self-published artist books. The John Cleary Library has grown to be a comprehensive reference library on photography since its inception, when the library primarily housed books that were reviewed in HCP’s SPOT magazine.
When it reopens, The John Cleary Library will be open to the public during HCP gallery hours and by appointment.
JOHN CLEARY
(1937-2008)
John was an avid photography collector and dealer; self-educated and highly-devoted, John helped to propel Houston’s photographic connoisseurship.
His gallery was a renowned Houston institution that was celebrated for its vintage work and timeless contemporary photographs.
John’s legacy includes more than 1,200 images of children (known as his “Kid Collection”) and several thousand books on photography.