Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 4 9/16 x 4 11/16 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Rome, Italy, 1977-78. 4 5/8 x 4 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
Ann Gabhart on the work of Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
On the occasion of “Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories,” Marian Goodman Gallery commissioned eight video vignettes by an array of art historians, curators, and artists, each whom brought their own perspective to Woodman’s work and the exhibition currently on view. In this video, Ann Gabhart, Woodman Family Foundation Board member, former Director of the Wellesley College Museum, and curator of Woodman’s first solo museum exhibition at Wellesley and Hunter Colleges in 1986, reflects on her early experiences with and impressions of Woodman’s work.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," c. 1977-78. 3 7/8 x 3 7/8 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
REVIEW: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" featured in The New York Times, December 2021
Read a review on "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" by Arthur Lubow in The New York Times. The exhibition is currently on view at Marian Goodman Gallery, New York through December 23.
L to R: 1-6: Spreads from "Some Disordered Interior Geometries,” c. 1980-81. From original artist book, 24 pages + cover | "Almost a Square," 1977, 4 7/16 x 4 9/16 in. | "Angels," c. 1977-78, 3 13/16 x 3 3/4 in. | "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 4 9/16 x 4 11/16 in. | All gelatin silver prints. Artist's book images courtesy MACK. All works by Francesca Woodman © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Francesca Woodman. Spread from "Some Disordered Interior Geometries,” c. 1980-81. Image courtesy MACK. Artwork © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
"Some Disordered Interior Geometries," Rome, Italy: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
Francesca Woodman was a frequent visitor to the Maldoror bookshop during the year she spent studying in Rome. In the hours she spent rooting through the stacks there, she began to collect old notebooks filled with elaborate handwriting exercises and objective mathematical lessons, all in Italian.
L to R: All artworks by Francesca Woodman. “Splatter Paint,” Rome, Italy, 1977-78. 4 5/8 x 4 5/8 in / “Untitled,” Italy, 1977-78. 4 5/8 x 4 5/8 in (Giuseppe Gallo with Francesca Woodman) / All gelatin silver prints / Giuseppe Gallo, Bruno Ceccobelli, Francesca Woodman, Angelo Segneri, and Gianni Dessi installing the exhibition “Cinque Giovani Artisti" at Galleria Ugo Ferranti, Rome, 1978, photo © Mimmo Capone / Ugo Ferranti Archive / 4-5: Invitation card for “Cinque Giovani Artisti" at Galleria Ugo Ferranti, Rome, 1978. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
Francesca Woodman. “Splatter Paint,” c. 1977-78. 4 5/8 x 4 5/8 in © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Ugo Ferranti Gallery, Rome, Italy: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
"While I was in Rome my Junior year I began to work with the ideas that presently occupy me,” Francesca Woodman wrote in 1980. “I also met a number of Italian artists who shared similar concerns in other mediums. In June we had a show at the Ugo Ferranti Gallery, my first exhibition in a prestigious gallery. That year I also showed at the Libreria Maldoror, a book store and gallery specializing in Futurist and Dada Literature. The owners introduced me to many rare books and writers, ets.”
L to R: Contact sheet and artworks by Francesca Woodman. Contact sheet, Italy, c. 1978. 10 x 8 in. Gelatin silver print. Collection of Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art / Project sketch by Francesca Woodman, c. 1978 / “Untitled,” 1978. 4 9/16 x 4 9/16 in. Gelatin silver print / “Untitled,” 1978. 4 5/8 x 4 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Francesca Woodman. Contact sheet, Italy, c. 1978. 10 x 8 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
"Ideas in Antella," Antella, Italy: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
Francesca Woodman was deliberate about the photographs she made, frequently sketching in her journal and jotting down notes about her concepts and intentions. Here you can see the evolution of some specific “Ideas in Antella:” first as simple drawings, then translated from photographic negatives to a contact sheet, and finally as the pair of lush and mysterious gelatin silver prints now on view at Marian Goodman Gallery New York.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," c. 1975, 7 1/4 x 7 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
REVIEW: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" featured in 4Columns Magazine, November 2021
Read about Francesca Woodman's work and new solo exhibition "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" in a review by Johanna Fateman in 4Columns magazine. The exhibition is currently on view at Marian Goodman Gallery New York through December 23.
L to R: “Untitled," c. 1976. 4 11/16 x 4 11/16 in. | “Untitled," c. 1976. 4 5/8 x 4 5/8 in. | “Untitled,” c. 1976. 5 3/16 x 5 3/16 in. | Images 4-7: “Untitled,” made at La Specola, Florence, Italy, c. 1971. All gelatin silver prints. All works by Francesca Woodman © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Francesca Woodman. “Untitled," c. 1976. 4 11/16 x 4 11/16 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
La Specola Museum, Florence, Italy: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories,” Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
Over the course of Francesca Woodman's solo exhibition "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" at Marian Goodman Gallery New York, we’ll be sharing additional images and materials from Woodman’s archive which shed light on her process and elaborate on specific works currently on view.
Francesca Woodman in XIBT Magazine, November 2021
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," 1978, 4 11/16 x 4 11/16 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
INTERVIEW: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" featured in XIBT Magazine, November 2021
Read about the work of Francesca Woodman in the new issue of XIBT Magazine. Included are an interview with the Foundation's Executive Director Lissa McClure and Dr. Kostas Prapoglou and images of some of the vintage photographs currently on view in "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" at Marian Goodman Gallery New York through December 23, 2021.
L to R: Installation views, "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, 2021. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery. Photos by Alex Yudzon.
Installation view, "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, 2021. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery. Photo: Alex Yudzon
"Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" at Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, New York, 2021
This solo exhibition of vintage photographs by Francesca Woodman includes more than twenty previously unseen works and draws on the artist's writings about her practice in newly available archival material from the Foundation's holdings. The show presents thematic threads and groupings of images in relational contexts, offering a fresh perspective on Woodman's work.
Francesca Woodman. Contact sheet, c. 1977-78. 8 x 10 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
IN CONVERSATION: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" on Yale Radio with Lissa McClure and Brainard Carey, 2021
Our Executive Director Lissa McClure was recently in conversation with Brainard Carey on Yale Radio about Francesca Woodman’s upcoming solo exhibition “Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories” at Marian Goodman Gallery, New York. They spoke about the inclusion of never-before-seen photographs and Woodman's own writings about her work, her compositional and conceptual grounding, and this exciting opportunity to view the work through new lenses.
L to R: Entrance to the Woodman family’s farmhouse adorned with a Pillow Pitcher by Betty atop a wall of George’s “sgraffito,” 2017 / View of the olive groves from Betty’s studio, 2004 / Betty cutting well-tended roses growing against the wall next to her studio, 2008 / Betty making flower arrangements with roses, dahlias and gerbera daisies from her garden, 2006 / Betty putting fresh flowers in a group of her “Vase and Stand” works, 1984 / Betty, a young family friend, and Francesca, c. late 1960s / Table set for dinner, 2016, photo by Brigid McCaffrey / Generous bowls and baskets full of figs, plums, peaches, grapes, and tomatoes, 2016 / Betty, Charlie and Francesca cooking together, c. early 1970s / George at his studio door, 2006 / A view out from the same door, 2008 / Francesca and Betty holding their bunnies, c. 1968 / Charlie on his motorino, c. late 1960s / Betty and friend with Betty’s triptych “June in Italy” (2001), c. 2001 / George with his sculpture, c. early 1970s / he Woodman family’s patio with potted geraniums and the olive grove in view, c. 1990s / Morning glories climbing George’s “sgrafitto” wall, c. 1990s. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
L to R: Entrance to the Woodman family’s farmhouse adorned with a Pillow Pitcher by Betty atop a wall of George’s “sgraffito,” 2017. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
AUGUST IN ANTELLA
Beginning in the summer of 1968, the Woodman Family spent every summer at their stone farmhouse in Antella, Italy, just outside of Florence. As children, Charlie and Francesca joined their parents and later visited on their own, soaking in Italian culture and influences. Betty and George made some of their most important artistic breakthroughs there—a place George once described as "an artist residency for two.” All summer long, their garden produced abundant food and flowers—the tomatoes were particularly good in August, happily shared with frequent visitors.
Letter from George Woodman to Francesca Woodman, September 4, 1977. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
A letter from George Woodman to Francesca Woodman, September 4, 1977
September of 1977 marked the start of new academic year for each of the Woodmans and the pursuit of teaching or studies in four different locations around the US and Europe. Francesca Woodman had just begun her fruitful year in Rome with the RISD European Honors Program, after spending some time in Antella. In a letter sent to her from Boulder, George Woodman recaps summer travels and reports on the rest of the family’s activities.