Images from left to right: Francesca and Charlie in their grembiule (Italian school uniforms), c. 1965-66 / George Woodman’s studio in a 16th century building, Italy, c. 1965-66 / Betty Woodman in her studio, Italy, 1965 / Francesca drawing in an Italian museum, c. 1965-66 / Charlie and Betty at the market, c. 1965-66 / George, Francesca and Betty in Italy, c. 1965-66.
Francesca and Charlie in their grembiule (Italian school uniforms), c. 1965-66.
The Woodmans in Italy, 1960s: From the Archives…
Beginning in 1965, Betty, George, Charlie and Francesca Woodman spent an influential year together as a family in Italy, immersed in museums, art, and culture. Their affinity for Florence took root, leading to the acquisition of a farmhouse in Antella several years later that has served as a family and creative nucleus ever since.
George Woodman’s studio space at Grand Arts, 2004 / Installation views at Grand Arts, 2004 / George Woodman. Chinese Chrysanthemums and the Chaos of Love, 2004. 64 1/4 x 39 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print / George Woodman. Ruth, Baby, Saskia, et al., 2004. 65 3/4 x 39 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
George Woodman’s studio space at Grand Arts, 2004.
George Woodman’s residency at Grand Arts in Kansas City, Missouri, 2004: From the Archives…
During his 2004 residency at Grand Arts in Kansas City, Missouri, George Woodman continued his work with one-of-a-kind, large-scale still life photographs, made using a camera obscura.
Images from left to right: Brochure for Betty Woodman / MATRIX 119, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut, 1992 / Installation view from Betty Woodman / Matrix 119. Etruscan Vases, 1965-1966, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford Connecticut, 1992.
Brochure for Betty Woodman / MATRIX 119, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut, 1992.
Betty Woodman at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, 1992: From the Archives…
Her exhibition in the Matrix series at Wadsworth Atheneum in 1992 helped to define a context for Betty Woodman's work in ceramics within the larger world of contemporary art, highlighting "that Woodman sees herself ‘dealing with painting as much as with sculpture.'"
Invitation postcards by Francesca Woodman, Libreria Maldoror, Rome, Italy, 1978.
Invitation postcards by Francesca Woodman, Libreria Maldoror, Rome, Italy, 1977: From the Archives…
Not long after Francesca Woodman arrived in Rome in 1977 on the RISD European Honors Program, she discovered the surrealist bookshop Maldoror, where she later had her first solo exhibition in Europe. She made unique, individual invitations to the show, each featuring one of her photographs attached to a postcard.