Anthony Bannon

Who is Anthony Bannon?

Anthony Bannon was the seventh director of George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, located in Rochester, N.Y. He officially retired in May 2012 after 16 years at George Eastman House, the longest tenure in Eastman House history. During his tenure, Bannon launched programs in photo and film preservation, acquired the Technicolor and Merchant Ivory Productions archives, and established an online presence for the museum’s classic images. Bannon is now the executive director of the Burchfield Penney Art Center on the campus of State University College at Buffalo, where he had already served as director prior to joining George Eastman House in 1996.

George Eastman House is the world’s oldest museum of photography and largest museum of photography and film. During Bannon’s tenure the museum launched three internationally renowned graduate and post-graduate schools of film and photograph preservation and conservation.

Dr. Bannon has lectured at museums, colleges, and festivals worldwide. He currently serves as chairman of the Lucie Awards/International Photography Awards and was awarded the Golden Career Award in 2007 by the FOTOfusion Festival of Photography & Digital Imaging for his “far-reaching leadership and scholarship in the cultural community.”