L to R: “Guerilla Gallerizing” review by Peter Frank in “The Village Voice,” May 7, 1979 | George Woodman. "Untitled," c. 1975-77. 67 x 67 in. Acrylic on canvas © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Woodman Family Foundation Archives
"Guerilla Gallerizing” review by Peter Frank in “The Village Voice,” May 7, 1979. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
George Woodman review by Peter Frank in "The Village Voice," May 7, 1979
In May of 1979, George Woodman received this review from “The Village Voice” in the mail, clipped and sent to him by his daughter Francesca. It was addressed in her hand “For Daddy,” and pointed out where his work is discussed.
Francesca Woodman birth announcement, drawing by George Woodman, 1958. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
Francesca Woodman birth announcement, 1958
Francesca Woodman was born on this day in 1958. Her artist parents used this drawing by George, recently discovered in the family archive, to share the good news with family and friends.
All works by Francesca Woodman © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
PLOTLINE 5: FRANCESCA WOODMAN / Traces of Performance
PLOTLINE 5 considers the performative aspects of Francesca Woodman’s practice. In her photographs and videos, Woodman claimed the female body as subject by using her own - staging and sequencing its movements, capturing it in motion. The bodily, temporal, and spatial concerns in Woodman’s work align her with the feminist performance art of her time. Woodman’s photographs reveal traces of her carefully constructed performative process.
Francesca Woodman. "From Polka Dots" or "Polka Dots," 1976, from the "Polka Dots" series, 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / DACS, London
Francesca Woodman on The Great Women Artists Podcast
Katy Hessel of The Great Women Artists Podcast interviews Katarina Jerinic, the Woodman Family Foundation’s Collections Curator, on Francesca Woodman’s work and life. The two discuss photographs made in Providence, Italy and New York and Jerinic shares some of Woodman’s own words and ideas found in the Foundation's archives.
L to R: Two paintings of cake by Francesca Woodman, c. 1970s | George Woodman in an interview discussing Francesca Woodman's idea for a pastry museum, 2007. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
A painting of cake by Francesca Woodman, circa late 1970s. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
Francesca Woodman's love of desserts
Francesca Woodman's love of dessert was well-known to her family and friends, often coming up in letters or conversations, and even in two paintings she made in the late 1970s.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," c. 1979-80. 3 7/8 x 3 7/8 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Copyright Agency, Sydney
ON VIEW: Francesca Woodman in "The Body Electric" at National Gallery of Australia, Parkes, Australia, 2021
LAST CHANCE to see Francesca Woodman in "The Body Electric" at the National Gallery of Australia!
L to R: Front and back of letter from Francesca to George and Betty, April 1977 / Letter from George to Francesca, April 17, 1977. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
Front of letter from Francesca to George and Betty, April 1977. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
Letters exchanged between Francesca Woodman and George Woodman, April 1977
Francesca Woodman often used the backs of her photographs to write letters to family and friends, addressing, stamping and dropping her prints directly into the mailbox. In this exchange between her and George from April 1977, they discuss her first forays into fashion photography and other news from Providence and Boulder.
L to R: "Untitled," 1979. 3 3/8 x 3 1/2 in. Chromogenic print | "Untitled," c. 1979-80, 5 1/2 x 5 7/16 in. Gelatin silver print. All works by Francesca Woodman © Woodman Family Foundation / SIAE, Italy
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," 1979. 3 3/8 x 3 1/2 in. Chromogenic print. © Woodman Family Foundation / SIAE, Italy
ON VIEW: "Francesca Woodman: New York Works" at Victoria Miro Venice, Venice, Italy, 2020
LAST CHANCE to see "Francesca Woodman: New York Works" in Venice this week! On view through Saturday, December 12, 2020 at Victoria Miro Venice.
L to R: Francesca Woodman in her dorm room at Abbot Academy, Andover, MA, c. 1972-73. Academic and Advisor Reports from Wendy Snyder MacNeil, Abbot Academy, 1972-1973.
Francesca Woodman in her dorm room at Abbot Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, c. 1972-73. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
Francesca Woodman at Abbott Academy, 1972-1973
From 1972-1973, Francesca Woodman studied at Abbot Academy, one of the few high schools in the US at the time to offer a concentrated art program. It was there that Francesca met Wendy Snyder MacNeil, her earliest, highly influential teacher who introduced her to the creative and expressive capabilities of photography.
L to R: The Woodman family at home in Boulder, Colorado, circa 1963 / Sirotkin House, designed by Tician Papachristou, 1959, Boulder, Colorado, courtesy M. Gerwing Architects / Images 3-7: Interior and exterior views of the Woodman family home in the Sirotkin House, circa 1960s / Baskets in Betty’s studio before one of her twice-yearly sales.
The Woodman family at home in Boulder, Colorado, c. 1963. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
The Woodmans in Boulder, Colorado, 1960s
In 1960, after returning to Boulder, Colorado, from their first year together in Italy, the Woodman family moved into the Sirotkin House. One of more than a dozen modernist homes in Boulder by architect Tician Papachristou, the house was designed for the original owner as a pair with the house next door.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," 1979, 3 5/16 x 3 7/16 in. Chromogenic print © Woodman Family Foundation / SIAE, Rome
ON VIEW: "Francesca Woodman: New York Works" at Victoria Miro Venice, Venice, Italy, 2020
This exhibition centers on a rare series of color photographs that Francesca Woodman staged in her New York apartment in 1979.
All images related to: Francesca Woodman. "Blueprint for a Temple (I) and (II)," 1980. L to R: Artist's sketches / Installation views, Alternative Museum (including Francesca and Betsy Berne) / 'Beyond Photography 80' exhibition catalogue, Alternative Museum / Installation view, 'Spies in the House of Art,' Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012 / Diazotype collage, 173 1/4 x 111 3/16 in. / Diazotype, 24 1/2 x 18 in. / Diazotype, 24 1/2 x 18 1/4 in.
Francesca Woodman. Artist's sketch related to "Blueprint for a Temple (I) & (II)," 1980. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
Francesca Woodman’s "Blueprint for a Temple (I) & (II)," 1980
In the spring of 1980, Francesca Woodman’s "Blueprint for a Temple (II)" was included in the exhibition "Beyond Photography 80" at the Alternative Museum in New York City.