Image above: ©Francesca Woodman. Untitled, New York (N.407), 1979-1980. Vintage gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery.
Marian Goodman Gallery presented on 12th of February a solo exhibition of the vintage work of Francesca Woodman. "I’m trying my hand at fashion photography", the fourth solo exhibition in the New York space dedicated to Woodman’s vintage photographs, following the inaugural exhibition in 2004 and sequels in 2008 and 2012.
©Francesca Woodman. Untitled, New York (N.465), 1979-1980. Vintage gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery.
©Francesca Woodman. Untitled, New York (N.254), 1979-1980. Vintage gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery.
This group of pictures is dedicated to Woodman’s fashion photographs which she pursued and developed in the later years of her life, between 1978 and 1980 primarily while living and working in New York City. Most are shown here for the first time. The works form a finite chapter within Woodman’s oeuvre when she was continuing to explore the female subject both through self- representation and the positioning of models within the image, but with an eye toward the commercial realm.
©Francesca Woodman. Untitled, New York (NF.408), 1979-1980. Vintage gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery.
©Francesca Woodman. Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island (P/NF.394), 1978. Vintage gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery.
Francesca Woodman’s fashion photographs had many precursors during her formative years in Colorado, Italy, Providence, and New York City and antecedents can be found not only in her images, but also in her working notebooks, drawings, and artist’s books. As Alison Gingeras writes, “fashion had become a vital tool for both Woodman’s emerging artistic practice as well as for her self-definition. More than just providing props, fashion was a creative catalyst in her life and in her image making.” From an early age, she had a “conceptual understanding of fashion as a powerful signifier and performative tool. ”
Francesca's parents at the opening at Marian Goodman Gallery on 12th of February.
All Opening Images by Lena Vassilieu
