Exhibition dates: 15th June – 13th October 2013
.
From the checklists provided, this exhibition seems to have a finger in every gender pie without going hard core or in depth at anything. There seems to be no rhyme or reason, no catalogue to the exhibition (as far as I can ascertain), and no indication on how the exhibition is structured, even in the press release. How you would hope to cover such a broad topic in one exhibition is beyond me. That given, there are some fascinating photographs from the exhibition in this bumper posting… and I have included the three pdfs that came with the press kit to allow you to see all the other photographs that were in the exhibition. My personal favourites in the posting are:
Two Youths, Coney Island by Bruce Davidson (1958, below). This image epitomises the rock and roll era of the late 1950s and for me has poignancy because it was taken in the year that I was born. It’s just such a fabulous image: the light pouring through window; the two women walking away at left and right in rear; the ‘No smoking in this area’ sign playing off of the cigarette machine; the obscure shadow at left; and finally the two central characters – handsome he, oblivious to the camera, in chino pants rolling up his sleeves and she, caught posing in the mirror so that she observes as we observe, a doubled looking in the mirror of time… forever young. The dynamic between the two figures (he with extended arm, she with swept up hair and arm) and the frieze of five figures across the images plane is just delicious. A great photograph.
Donald York, Jr. standing beside his father’s wrecker, Millerton, New York by Mark Goodman (1974, below). Ah, the jouissance of youth (jouissance means enjoyment, in terms both of rights and property, and of sexual orgasm). Here “junior” is possessing the masculinity of his father’s truck while at the same time emphasising his youthful sexuality with short shorts, naked body, tilt of the hips, pose of the arm and slight cock of the head replete with hair falling over the eyes. There is a certain prepossession about this Donald York, a sexual knowing as he flirts with the camera. Beautiful image.
Greta Garbo by Edward Steichen (1928, below). My god, how would you be as a photographer looking in the ground glass to see this visage staring back at you. Strength of character, vulnerability and eyes that seem to bore right through you. Face framed with black surmounted by pensive hands. A masterpiece.
Ophelia Study No. 2 by Julia Margaret Cameron (1867, below). What an impression. Wistful, delicate, a ghostly slightly mad presence with hardly an existence but oh so memorable (Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare that suffers from “erotomania, a malady conceived in biological and emotional terms which is a type of delusion in which the affected person believes that another person, usually a stranger, high-status or famous person, is in love with him or her.”(Wikipedia)) Madness and sexuality. The divine Miss Julia does it again…
.
The Gender Show contemporary art photographs checklist (1.1Mb pdf)
The Gender Show Debbie Grossman images (1.2Mb pdf)
The Gender Show George Eastman House collection checklist (1.8Mb pdf)
.
Dr Marcus Bunyan for the Art Blart blog
.
Many thankx to George Eastman House for allowing me to publish the photographs in the posting. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.
*PLEASE NOTE THIS POSTING CONTAINS ART PHOTOGRAPHS OF MALE AND FEMALE NUDITY – IF YOU DO NOT LIKE PLEASE DO NOT LOOK, FAIR WARNING HAS BEEN GIVEN*
.
.
.
Danny Lyon (American, b. 1942)
Cal, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
From the series The Bikeriders
c. 1965-66, print c. 1989
Gelatin silver print
Purchased with funds from Charina Foundation and
Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Taub
.
.
Danny Lyon (American, b. 1942)
Building Shakedown
From the series Conversations with the Dead
c. 1967-68
Gelatin silver print
Museum purchase
.
.
Bruce Davidson (American, b. 1933)
Two Youths, Coney Island
From the series Brooklyn Gang, 1958
print c. 1965
Gelatin silver print
Museum purchase
.
.
Vincent Cianni (American, b. 1952)
Anthony hitting on Giselle, Vivien waiting, Lorimer Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
From the series We Skate Hardcore
1996
Gelatin silver print
Purchased with funds from Mary Cianni
.
.
Mark Goodman (American b. 1946)
Donald York, Jr. standing beside his father’s wrecker, Millerton, New York
1974
Gelatin silver print
Gift of Dr. & Mrs. Maurice Miller
.
.
Elias Goldensky (American, b. Russia 1867 – 1943)
Head and shoulders study
c. 1920
Gelatin silver print
Gift of 3M Company; ex-collection of Louis Walton Sipley
.
.
Chuck Samuels (Canadian, b. 1956)
After Bellocq
From the series Before the Camera
1991
Gelatin silver print
Purchased with funds from Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
.
.
Lewis W. Hine (American, 1874 – 1940)
Greek Wrestling Club
From the series Hull House, Chicago
c. 1910
Gelatin silver print
Transfer from Photo League Lewis Hine Memorial Committee; ex-collection of Corydon Hine
.
.
Nickolas Muray (American, b. Hungary, 1892 – 1965)
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. & Joan Crawford
c. 1930
Gelatin silver print
Gift of Mrs. Nickolas Muray
.
.
Victor Keppler (American, 1904-1987)
First Hair Cut
1943
Gelatin silver print
Gift of the photographer
.
.
Unidentified Photographer
Two women fencing
June 16, 1891
Tintype
Museum Collection
.
.
Lewis W. Hine (American, 1874 – 1940)
The boys learn to cook
From the series The Ethical Culture Schools NYC
c. 1935
Gelatin silver print
Transfer from Photo League Lewis Hine
Memorial Committee; ex-collection of Corydon Hine
.
.
Mary Ellen Mark (American, b. 1940)
Hispanic Girl with Her Brother, Dallas, Texas
From the series Urban Poverty
1987, print c. 1991 by Sarah Jenkins
Gelatin silver print
Gift of the photographer
.
.
Arthur Tress
Stephen Brecht, Bride and Groom, New York
1970
Gelatin silver print
Collection of Elaine Goldman
.
.
“In common use, the word gender may refer to biological sex, self-identity, perceived identity, or imposed identity. Gender can be both fluid and ambiguous. Many of the ways we express and identify gender are based on visual clues. George Eastman House is proud to present The Gender Show, an exhibition that explores ways gender has been presented in photographs, ranging from archetypal to non-traditional to subversive representations, with a special emphasis on the performances that photography can encourage or capture.
With a collection that spans over 170 years of photography, Eastman House is uniquely able to thoughtfully examine our changing cultural and social landscape, in which evolving ideas of gender are framed as photographic images. The Gender Show offers the opportunity to see important photographs from our collection in a new context. The Gender Show sets the stage for a lively discussion of both photographic and cultural conventions and can be enjoyed by a variety of audiences for both its subject matter and content. Those interested in material, visual, and popular culture; gender, identity, and equality; and photographic history will find this exhibition captivating.
George Eastman House’s exhibition The Gender Show will explore how photographs, from the mid-19th century to today, have portrayed gender – from archetypal to non-traditional to subversive representations – with a special emphasis on the performances that the act of photographing or being photographed can encourage or capture. The Gender Show, presenting over 200 works, draws primarily from the Eastman House collection, which spans more than 170 years, and also features contemporary art photographs and videos on loan from artists and private collectors. The exhibition will be on view from June 15 through October 13, 2013.
The Gender Show is the first major Eastman House exhibition organized under the direction of Dr. Bruce Barnes, who assumed the role of Ron and Donna Fielding Director last October. “This exhibition is an extraordinary survey of how photographers and their subjects have presented gender over the course of more than 150 years,” said Barnes. ”George Eastman House is uniquely able to review the ever-changing cultural and social landscape through depictions of gender ranging from innocent assertion to elaborate masquerade.”
From the Eastman House collection are photographs by many of the biggest names in the history of the medium – including Julia Margaret Cameron, August Sander, Edward Steichen, Nickolas Muray, Brassaï, Robert Frank, Andy Warhol, Barbara Norfleet, Mary Ellen Mark, Cindy Sherman, and Chuck Samuels – as well as rarely seen vernacular photographs, in the form of cabinet cards depicting early vaudeville and music-hall stars. The exhibition will also present works by contemporary artists, including photographs by Janine Antoni, Rineke Dijkstra, Debbie Grossman, Catherine Opie, and Gillian Wearing, and videos by artists Jen DeNike, Kalup Linzy, and Martha Rosler.
“Since before Duchamp photographed Rrose Sélavy, his female alter-ego, artists have used photography to explore issues of identity, sex and gender,” said Barnes. “In recent decades, the artist’s identity and gender have been an increasingly prominent theme within photography. This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to see works by leading contemporary artists in the context of photographs from our world-class collection.”
Included in The Gender Show are tintypes and daguerreotypes by unknown artists; advertising images; self-portraits by artists, sometimes in disguise; and portraits of celebrities who in their time were a paragon of their own gender or of androgyny. Subjects include Sarah Bernhardt, Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Additional famous subjects presented in the show include Frida Kahlo, Auguste Rodin, Franklin Roosevelt with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin, and Andy Warhol.”
Press release from the George Eastman House website
.
.
B. J. Falk (American, 1853 – 1925)
Verona Jarbeau
c. 1885
Albumen print
Museum Collection
.
Cabinet card.of 19th century burlesque artist Verona Jarbeau.
Comedienne Verona Jarbeau dressed in masculine costume, and carrying a big stick.
.
.
Nickolas Muray (American, b. Hungary, 1892 – 1965)
Gloria De Haven
1947
Carbro print
Gift of Mrs. Nickolas Muray
.
.
Joel Peter Witkin
First Casting for Milo
2003
Toned gelatin silver print
Collection of Elaine Goldman
.
.
Nickolas Muray (American, b. Hungary, 1892 – 1965)
Torso
Descriptive Title: Torso, Hubert Julian Stowitts
c. 1927
Gelatin silver print
Gift of Mrs. Nickolas Muray
.
.
Larry Silver (American, b. 1934)
Headstand, Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, California
From the series Muscle Beach
1954, print 1983
Gelatin silver print
Gift of Wm. Silverstein
.
.
Lewis W. Hine (American, 1874 – 1940)
Guiding a beam
From the series Empire State building
c. 1931
Gelatin silver print
Transfer from Photo League Lewis Hine Memorial Committee;
ex-collection of Corydon Hine
.
.
Robert Frank (American, b. 1924)
New York City
From the series The Americans
c. 1955-1956
Gelatin silver print
Exchange with Robert Frank
.
.
Nickolas Muray (American, b. Hungary, 1892 – 1965)
Frida Kahlo
c. 1939, print 2003
Carbro print
Gift of Mimi Muray
.
.
Janine Antoni
Mom and Dad
1994
Triptych: 24 x 20 inches each (61 x 50.8 cm)
Collection of the artist, courtesy of Luhring Augustine Gallery
.
.
Chuck Samuels (Canadian, b. 1956)
After Avedon
From the series Before the Camera
1991
Digital inkjet print
Purchased with funds from Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
.
.
Debbie Grossman
Jessie Evans-Whinery, homesteader, with her wife Edith Evans-Whinery and their baby
From the series My Pie Town
Nd
Collection of the Artist, courtesy of Julie Saul Gallery
.
Debbie Grossman’s series My Pie Town reworks and re-imagines a body of images of Pie Town, New Mexico, originally photographed by Russell Lee for the United States Farm Security Administration in 1940. Using Photoshop to modify Lee’s pictures, Debbie Grossman has created an imaginary, parallel world – a Pie Town populated exclusively by women.
.
.
Jessica Todd Harper (American, b. 1976)
Self-Portrait With Christopher and My Future In-Laws
2001, print 2013
Inkjet print
Gift of the Photographer
.
.
Lejaren à Hiller (American, 1880 – 1969)
Men posed in front of backdrop with ship
c. 1950
Carbro print
Gift of 3M Company, ex-collection Louis Walton Sipley
.
.
Nan Goldin (American, b. 1953)
Risé and Monty Kissing, NYC
From the series Ballad of Sexual Dependency
1988
Cibachrome print
Purchased with funds from Charina Foundation
.
.
Melissa Ann Pinney (American, b. 1953)
“Bat Mitzvah Dance, Knickerbocker Hotel, Chicago”
1991, print 2003
Chromogenic print
Gift of Richard S. Press
.
.
Cig Harvey (British, b. 1973)
Gingham Dress with Apple
c. 2003
Chromogenic print
Gift of the Photographer
.
.
Marla Sweeney (American, b. 1968)
Bathing Cap
2003, printed 2008
Chromogenic Print
Purchase with funds from Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
.
.
Marla Sweeney (American, b. 1968)
Red & White Towel
2005, printed 2008
Chromogenic Print
Purchase with funds from Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
.
.
Catherine Opie
Self Portrait / Nursing
2004
Chromogenic print
40 x 32 inches
Collection of Shaun Caley Regen, Los Angeles
.
.
Catherine Opie
Oliver in a Tutu from the In and Around Home series
2004
Chromogenic print
24 x 20 Inches
Collection of Shaun Caley Regen, Los Angeles
.
.
Victor Keppler (American, 1904 – 1987)
Housewife in Kitchen
1939
Digital Inkjet reproduction, 2012
.
.
Rineke Dijkstra
Self Portrait, Marnixbad, Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 19, 1991
1991
Chromogenic print
62 x 52 cm
Collection of Jennifer and David Stockman
.
.
Alvin Langdon Coburn (British, 1882 – 1966)
Auguste Rodin
c. 1906
Gum platinum print
Gift of the Photographer
.
.
Edward Steichen (American, b. Luxembourg 1879 – 1973)
Greta Garbo
1928
Gelatin silver print
Bequest of Edward Steichen by Direction of Joanna T. Steichen
.
.
Ansel Adams (American, 1902 – 1984)
Graduation Dress, Yosemite Valley, California
From the Portfolio A. Adams Portfolio VI
1948, print c. 1974
Gelatin silver print
Museum Purchase with support from The National Endowment for the Arts
.
.
August Sander (German, 1876-1964)
Hod-carrier
ca. 1928, print ca. 1971 by Gunther Sander
Gelatin silver print
Museum purchase
.
.
Chuck Samuels (Canadian, b. 1956)
After Man Ray
From the series Before the Camera
1990
Gelatin silver print
Purchased with funds from Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
.
.
Rineke Dijkstra
Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, May 8, 1994
1994
Chromogenic print
90 x 72 cm
Collection of Julie Saul
.
.
Julia Margaret Cameron (British, 1815 – 1879)
Ophelia Study No. 2
1867
Albumen print
Gift of Eastman Kodak Company: ex-collection Gabriel Cromer
.
.
James Jowers (American, 1938 – 2009)
New Orleans
1970
Gelatin silver print
Gift of the photographer
.
.
Louie Palu (Canadian, b. 1968)
U.S. Marine Cpl. Philip Pepper age 22
From the series Afghanistan: Garmsir Marines
2008
Inkjet print
Purchased with funds from Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
.
.
William Mortensen (American, 1897 – 1965)
Preparing for the Sabbot
c. 1926
Gelatin silver print
Gift of Dr. C.E.K. Mees
.
.
B. J. Falk (American, 1853 – 1925)
Sandow
c. 1895
Albumen print
Gift of Charles Carruth
.
.
Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden (German, 1856 – 1931)
Youth with wreath on head
c. 1900
Albumen print
Anonymous gift
.
.
William Mortensen (American, 1897 – 1965)
The Kiss
From the portfolio Pictorial Photography
c. 1930
Gelatin silver print
Gift of Dr. C.E.K. Mees
.
.
Anne Noggle (American, 1922 – 2005)
Lois Hollingsworth Zilner, Woman Air force Service Pilot, WWII
1984, print 1986
Gelatin silver print
Purchased with funds from Charina Foundation
.
.
Edward Steichen (American, b. Luxembourg 1879 – 1973)
Marlene Dietrich, The Teuton Siren
1931
Gelatin silver contact print
Bequest of Edward Steichen by Direction of Joanna T. Steichen
.
.
Nickolas Muray (American, b. Hungary, 1892 – 1965)
Marilyn Monroe . . . Actress
1952
Carbro print
Gift of Michael Brooke Muray, Nickolas Christopher Muray, and Gustav Schwab
.
.
George Eastman House
900 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607
Opening hours:
Tues – Sat 10am – 5pm
Sunday 11am – 5pm
George Eastman House website
LIKE ART BLART ON FACEBOOK
Back to top
Filed under: American, american photographers, Ansel Adams, beauty, black and white photography, cabinet cards, colour photography, documentary photography, Edward Steichen, English artist, exhibition, existence, fashion photography, gallery website, intimacy, light, Man Ray, memory, painting, photographic series, photography, photojournalism, pictorialism, portrait, psychological, reality, space, street photography, surrealism, time Tagged: After Avedon, After Bellocq, alvin langdon coburn, Alvin Langdon Coburn Auguste Rodin, Anne Noggle, Anne Noggle Lois Hollingsworth Zilner, Ansel Adams, Ansel Adams Graduation Dress, Anthony hitting on Giselle, Arthur Tress Stephen Brecht Bride and Groom, August Sander, August Sander Hod-carrier, Auguste Rodin, B. J. Falk, B. J. Falk Sandow, B. J. Falk Verona Jarbeau, Ballad of Sexual Dependency, Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden, Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden Youth with wreath on head, Bat Mitzvah Dance, Before the Camera, Bruce Davidson Two Youths, Bruce Davidson Two Youths Coney Island, Building Shakedown, Cal Elkhorn, California, Carbro print, Catherine Opie In and Around Home, Catherine Opie Oliver in a Tutu, Catherine Opie Self Portrait / Nursing, Chuck Samuels, Chuck Samuels After Avedon, Chuck Samuels After Bellocq, Chuck Samuels After Man Ray, Chuck Samuels Before the Camera, Cig Harvey Gingham Dress with Apple, Coney Island, Conversations with the Dead, Danny Lyon, Danny Lyon Building Shakedown, Danny Lyon Cal Elkhorn, Danny Lyon Conversations with the Dead, Debbie Grossman, Debbie Grossman Jessie Evans-Whinery, Debbie Grossman My Pie Town, Donald York Jr. standing beside his father's wrecker, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Edward Steichen, Edward Steichen Greta Garbo, Edward Steichen Marlene Dietrich, Elias Goldensky Head and shoulders study, First Casting for Milo, First Hair Cut, Frida Kahlo, gender, george eastman house, Gingham Dress with Apple, Gloria De Haven, Greek Wrestling Club, Greta Garbo, Guiding a beam, Head and shoulders study, Headstand Muscle Beach, Hispanic Girl with Her Brother, Hod-carrier, Housewife in Kitchen, Hubert Julian Stowitts, Hull House Chicago, identity, In and Around Home, James Jowers, James Jowers New Orleans, Janine Antoni, Janine Antoni Mom and Dad, Jessica Todd Harper, Jessica Todd Harper Self-Portrait With Christopher and My Future In-Laws, Jessie Evans-Whinery, Joan Crawford, Joel Peter Witkin First Casting for Milo, Joel Peter-Witkin, Julia Margaret Cameron, Julia Margaret Cameron Ophelia Study No. 2, Larry Silver, Larry Silver Headstand Muscle Beach, Lejaren à Hiller, Lejaren à Hiller Men posed in front of backdrop with ship, Lewis W. Hine, Lewis W. Hine Empire State building, Lewis W. Hine Greek Wrestling Club, Lewis W. Hine Guiding a beam, Lewis W. Hine Hull House Chicago, Lewis W. Hine The boys learn to cook, Lewis W. Hine The Ethical Culture Schools NYC, Lois Hollingsworth Zilner, Louie Palu U.S. Marine Cpl. Philip Pepper, Marilyn Monroe, Mark Goodman Donald York Jr. standing beside his father's wrecker, Marla Sweeney, Marla Sweeney Bathing Cap, Marla Sweeney Red & White Towel, Marlene Dietrich, Mary Ellen Mark Hispanic Girl with Her Brother, Melissa Ann Pinney, Melissa Ann Pinney Bat Mitzvah Dance, Men posed in front of backdrop with ship, My Pie Town, nan goldin, Nan Goldin Ballad of Sexual Dependency, Nan Goldin Risé and Monty Kissing, New Orleans, Nickolas Muray, Nickolas Muray Douglas Fairbanks Jr. & Joan Crawford, Nickolas Muray Frida Kahlo, Nickolas Muray Gloria De Haven, Nickolas Muray Marilyn Monroe, Nickolas Muray Torso, Oliver in a Tutu, Ophelia Study No. 2, photography and gender, Pictorial photography, Preparing for the Sabbot, Red & White Towel, representation, Rineke Dijkstra, Rineke Dijkstra Self Portrait Marnixbad Amsterdam, Rineke Dijkstra Vila Franca de Xira, Risé and Monty Kissing, Robert Frank New York City, Robert Frank The Americans, Rrose Sélavy, Sandow, Santa Monica, Self Portrait / Nursing, Self Portrait Marnixbad Amsterdam, Self-Portrait With Christopher and My Future In-Laws, sex, sex and gender, Stephen Brecht Bride and Groom, subversive representation, the act of photographing, the americans, The boys learn to cook, The Ethical Culture Schools NYC, The Gender Show, The Gender Show George Eastman House, The Kiss, The Teuton Siren, Torso Hubert Julian Stowitts, Two women fencing, Two Youths Coney Island, U.S. Marine Cpl. Philip Pepper, Unidentified Photographer Two women fencing, Verona Jarbeau, Victor Keppler, Victor Keppler First Hair Cut, <a href="http://artblart.com/tag/