Acropolis of Athens, Athens, Greece, 1971 and 1966: SUMMER TRAVELS WITH THE WOODMAN FAMILY
The Woodman family made at least two trips to Greece together—or more as Francesca later described when discussing her monumental diazotype construction of a temple: "It’s funny how while I was living in Italy the culture there didn’t affect me that much and now I have all this fascination with the architecture etc, Francesca who as a child visited the Acropolis 3 times and always yawned.” The impact and influence of classical ruins, the architecture as well as the female form, can also be seen in both Betty’s and George’s work over many decades.
Paris, France, 1960: SUMMER TRAVELS WITH THE WOODMAN FAMILY
The Woodman family spent the year of 1959-1960 on the first of their many trips to Italy together, living near Florence. Betty and George both set up studios there and got to work. They also used their Italian home-base to see the sites around Europe, which meant that Francesca and Charlie began traveling with their parents from a young age. Here they are on a family trip to Paris in 1960, having a fun-filled day in Jardin du Luxembourg, enjoying sweet treats, and visiting museums like the Louvre.
The Woodmans' passports, 1959, 1965, and 1970: SUMMER TRAVELS WITH THE WOODMAN FAMILY
As everyone heads out on vacation this August, we’re taking a look back at the Woodman family’s travels throughout the years with images from our archives…Throwback to a time when kids had to be on their moms passport! The Woodman family loved to travel and visited Naples, Milan, Florence, Paris, Quebec, London, Granada, New York City, Croatia (then a part of Yugoslavia), Istanbul, and Copenhagen between 1959 to 1974.
George Woodman's ceramic tile installation, 1984, Delavan-Canisius College Station, NFTA-Metro, Buffalo, NY: From the Archives...
In 1984, George Woodman’s first public commission in ceramic tile was installed in the Delavan-Canisius NFTA-Metro station in Buffalo, New York. Three walls in the station’s mezzanine—measuring 11 feet high by 72 feet long in total—are still today covered in pattern made from 8 inch square tiles, greeting riders as they pass from the trains to the street.
Betty Woodman and George Woodman at Bud and Barbara Shark's studio, Holualoa, Hawaii, 1996: From the Archives...
In January of 1996, Betty and George Woodman escaped a snowy Colorado winter to join their good friends Bud and Barbara Shark in Holualoa on the Big Island of Hawaii.
George Woodman in "EYEMAZING Magazine," 2012: From the Archives...
“The painted photographs of George Woodman are ripe with mental connections, rich evidence of the artist’s talent for noticing, for witnessing, for making new wholeness,” wrote Clayton Maxwell in a 2012 essay for EYEMAZING magazine, which accompanied a portfolio of his photographs combined with oil paint and other images.
The Woodmans in Venice, Italy, 1966: From the Archives...
As this year’s Venice Biennale, “The Milk of Dreams,” nears its end, we’re reminded that over many decades Betty and George Woodman traveled to Venice to take in the Biennale. Their trip in 1966—pictured here—when the family spent the year in Italy, was likely Charlie and Francesca’s first of many visits there, to explore both the exhibition and this captivating city.
Vintage fox fur from Francesca Woodman's archives used in her work, 1976-80: From the Archives...
The Foundation’s archives include many of the dresses, shoes, scarves, gloves and other clothing that Francesca Woodman used in her photographs and in her daily life. This fox fur, probably picked up at a vintage shop or flea market like much that she wore, makes an appearance in many of her photographs.
Dining al fresco with the Woodman family, c. 1960s-1995: From the Archives...
The Woodman family spent many summer days and evenings dining al fresco in Italy with family and friends throughout the years. Most of these snapshots were taken by George, who often had his camera in hand and documented their family life.
George Woodman's summer travels, c. 1960s-1990s: From the Archives...
Here are a series of portraits of George Woodman, an avid world traveler. George soaked up endless inspiration for art making and life on the family's summer travels throughout the years.