As part of its recent show on American photographer Irving Penn, the Pace Gallery in Manhattan recreated the narrow corners where Penn once asked distinguished subjects like boxer Joe Louis and writer Truman Capote to pose as if they were naughty children in timeout.

The exhibition was one among many high-profile photography shows that washed over galleries across the United States in recent months. After at least a decade of focusing almost exclusively on painting, many of the largest and most powerful art dealers are dedicating significant attention and real estate to photography.