Betty Woodman. "Wallpaper 19," 2017. 65 x 59 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint. Photo: Bruno Bruchi.
Betty Woodman. "Wallpaper 19," 2017. 65 x 59 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint. Photo: Bruno Bruchi.
"In Talks With" Podcast: Betty and George Woodman at Charleston hosted by Danielle Radojcin
Lissa McClure, the Foundation's Executive Director, and Emily Hill, Acting Head of Exhibitions at Charleston, talk about the exhibition "Betty Woodman and George Woodman" on "In Talks With" podcast with journalist Danielle Radojcin.
All artworks by George Woodman. “Untitled,” c. 1970. 96 x 134 in. Acrylic paint on canvas / George Woodman with one of his paintings, Boulder, Colorado, c. 1975. Woodman Family Foundation Archive.
George Woodman. “Untitled,” c. 1970. 96 x 134 in. Acrylic paint on canvas.
George Woodman now represented by DC Moore Gallery
We’re delighted to share this exciting news from DC Moore Gallery: DC Moore Gallery is pleased to announce representation of George Woodman (1932-2017), a painter and photographer whose career spanned over 60 years, in partnership with the Woodman Family Foundation.
L to R: George Woodman. “Low Balustrade Screen (Garden Balustrade Screen),” 1981. 42 x 151 ½ in. Each panel 42 x 30 in. Acrylic paint on canvas. Photo: John Berens / Betty Woodman. "Balustrade Relief Vase 00-5,” 2000. 81 x 67 x 8 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint. Photo: Jeff Elstone / Installation view: "Betty Woodman and George Woodman" at Charleston 2023. © The Charleston Trust; photograph: James Bellorini / Betty Woodman. “Italian Window #11,” 1984. 54 x 33 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware / George Woodman. “Grey Portal,” 1978. 84 x 84 in. Acrylic paint on canvas / Betty Woodman. “Finestra con Persiane 2,” 2009. 97 1/4 x 84 x 15 3/4 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, paint, and canvas / George Woodman. “Untitled,” c. 1990s. 20 x 16 in. Gelatin silver print. Photo: Eliza Little / Betty Woodman. “The Door at the Beach,” 2008. 85 x 95 1/2 x 25 1/4 in. Earthenware, paint, terra sigilatta, and canvas / George Woodman. “Glimpse in my Studio Door,” 2012. 24 x 17 1/4 in. Oil paint on gelatin silver print.
George Woodman. “Low Balustrade Screen (Garden Balustrade Screen),” 1981. 42 x 151 ½ in. Each panel 42 x 30 in. Acrylic paint on canvas. Photo: John Berens.
Balustrades and architectural influence: "Betty Woodman and George Woodman," Charleston, East Sussex, UK, March 25-September 10, 2023
In the 1980s, George Woodman’s rigorous pattern paintings based in geometric abstraction began to incorporate more representational motifs, including figures, flowers and architectural details. This resulted in a complex layering of forms and colors into foreground and background.
L to R: Installation view: Betty Woodman and George Woodman at Charleston 2023. © The Charleston Trust; photograph: James Bellorini / Betty Woodman. "His and Hers Vases: Looking Back," 2006. 29 1⁄2 x 45 x 13 1⁄2 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint. Photo: Jeff Elstone / George Woodman. "Blue Arm and Chinese Maiden," 2012. 24 x 19 1⁄2 in. Oil paint on gelatin silver print. Photo: Eliza Little / Pair: Betty Woodman. “His/Her Vase, Gauguin’s Nude,” 2005. 29 x 58 x 11 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint / George Woodman. “Classical De Stijl,” 2007. 16 x 20 in. Oil paint on gelatin silver print. Photo: Eliza Little / George Woodman. “Untitled,” 1987. 20 x 16 in. Gelatin silver print. Photo: Eliza Little / Betty Woodman. “Venus #12,” 2016. 34 1/4 x 16 x 5 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, paint, and cement / George Woodman. “Euridice and Amor,” 1982. 63 x 51 in. Acrylic paint on canvas / Betty Woodman. “Green Nude,” 2007. 33 x 33 3/4 x 6 3/4 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint / George Woodman. “Untitled,” c. 1992. 41 1/4 x 33 1/2 in. Gelatin silver print.
Installation view: “Betty Woodman and George Woodman” at Charleston 2023. © The Charleston Trust; photograph: James Bellorini.
Art historical influence: "Betty Woodman and George Woodman," Charleston, East Sussex, UK, March 25-September 10, 2023
‍The exhibition at Charleston explores ways that Betty Woodman’s and George Woodman’s shared life and experiences over more than six decades found expression in the works that emerged from each artists’ studio. Art history significantly influenced them both, as can be seen in many of the works on view at Charleston as well as numerous other works in the Foundation’s collection, as shown here.
Betty Woodman, George Woodman, and friend outside their home, Antella, Italy, c. 1990s. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
Betty Woodman, George Woodman, and friend outside their home, Antella, Italy, c. 1990s. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
"Betty Woodman and George Woodman" featured in "Recessed Space," May 5, 2023
Read Jelena Sofronijevic's feature on Betty Woodman and George Woodman. On view now through September 10, 2023 at Charleston, East Sussex, UK.
L to R: Betty surveys pots fresh from the kiln in front of one of George’s tessellation paintings in the Woodmans’ living room in Antella, c. 1970s / Pair: George Woodman. “Untitled,” c. 1970. 52 x 52 in. Acrylic paint on canvas. Photo: John Berens / Betty Woodman. “The Kitchen Table,” 2014. 63 x 60 x 12 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint, canvas, and wood. Private collection / One of George’s paintings in the Woodman’s bedroom, c. 1970s / The Woodmans' farmhouse in Antella, c. 1990s. Betty's studio was located in what had been the house's wine cellar. An outdoor structure was added to give her more space to work / Betty installing a Balustrade Relief Vase in the workspace just outside of her wine cellar studio, 1996 / George on the threshold of his former studio, when it had been located next to the outdoor dining area, c. 1980s / The Woodmans continued to expand the wine cellar studio. In 2008, they renovated and expanded the space significantly, transforming it into new studio for George / George decorates the exterior wall of his new studio with his version of “sgraffito,” a technique of scratching into plaster walls, popularized in 15th and 16th Century Italy and significant in the Italian Renaissance, Antella, Italy, 2008 / George and Betty in George’s wine cellar studio, 2009 / Works in progress in Betty’s most recent Antella studio, which was built into the hillside below the house and above the olive groves, 2004. All archival images Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
Betty surveys pots fresh from the kiln in front of one of George’s tessellation paintings in the Woodmans’ living room in Antella, c. 1970s. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
NOW ON VIEW: "Betty Woodman and George Woodman," Charleston, East Sussex, UK, March 25-September 10, 2023
This exhibition at Charleston—the home and studio of artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant—centers on Betty and George Woodman’s prolific time in Antella, Italy, where they lived and worked together for part each year for nearly 50 years. In addition to presenting a range of artworks exploring the couple’s mutual influences and their ongoing dialogue in a variety of media, the exhibition includes archival photographs documenting their home, life and work in Antella.
L to R: All artworks by George Woodman. “Untitled,” 1980. 85 x 84 in / “Untitled,” c. 1980-81. 75 x 110 in / “Untitled,” c. 1980-84. 44 x 32 in. Oil paint on canvas / “Iris,” 1991. 48 x 37 1/2 in. Collection of Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado / “Daphne,” 1982. 78 x 60 in / Detail of "Low Balustrade Screen (Garden Balustrade Screen),” 1981 / “Low Balustrade Screen (Garden Balustrade Screen),” 1981. 42 x 151 1/2 in. Each panel 42 x 30 in. Photo: John Berens / Irene Clurman. “George Woodman.” Arts Magazine, April 1982 / Installation view, “Paper Tilings,” 1982. Acrylic paint on paper. University Galleries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. Woodman Family Foundation Archive. All artworks acrylic paint on canvas unless otherwise noted.
George Woodman. “Untitled,” 1980. 85 x 84 in. Acrylic paint on canvas.
Irene Clurman on George Woodman, "Arts Magazine," April 1982: READING ROOM
READING ROOM highlights past essays, reviews and interviews about Betty Woodman, Francesca Woodman, and George Woodman that provided new insights and lenses through which to understand their work. In her essay for "Arts Magazine” related to George Woodman’s 1982 solo exhibition at Haber-Theodore Gallery in New York, Irene Clurman discusses the transformation of Woodman’s patterns and palette into more representational forms.
L to R: Betty Woodman. "His and Hers Vases: Looking Back," 2006. 29 ½ x 45 x 13 ½ in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint / George Woodman. "Blue Arm and Chinese Maiden," 2012. 24 x 19 ½ in. Oil paint on gelatin silver print.
L to R: Betty Woodman. "His and Hers Vases: Looking Back," 2006. 29 ½ x 45 x 13 ½ in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint / George Woodman. "Blue Arm and Chinese Maiden," 2012. 24 x 19 ½ in. Oil paint on gelatin silver print.
"Betty Woodman and George Woodman" featured in "STIR," March 26, 2023
Read Rahul Kumar's interview with Charleston curator Emily Hill in "STIR" about the exhibition "Betty Woodman and George Woodman" on view now through September 10, 2023 at Charleston, East Sussex, UK.
Betty Woodman. "Night Window," 2016. 69 1/4 x 79 3/4 x 10 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint, canvas, and wood. Photo: Bruno Bruchi / George Woodman. "Canova Museum," 2010. 42 x 36 in. Oil paint on gelatin silver print. Photo: Eliza Little.
Betty Woodman. "Night Window," 2016. 69 1/4 x 79 3/4 x 10 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint, canvas, and wood. Photo: Bruno Bruchi / George Woodman. "Canova Museum," 2010. 42 x 36 in. Oil paint on gelatin silver print. Photo: Eliza Little.
OPENING SATURDAY "Betty Woodman and George Woodman," Charleston, East Sussex, UK, March 25-September 10, 2023
Representing a decades-long dialogue in ceramics and paint, “Betty Woodman and George Woodman” brings together the artists’ vibrant ceramics, vivid abstract paintings, radical assemblages, and photographs, illuminated by archival materials. Focused on the couple’s prolific time at their farmhouse in Antella, Italy—where they lived and worked for part of each year for nearly fifty years—the exhibition explores the artists’ mutual influences and their shared life immersed in art, culture, travel and experimentation, reflected in kindred palettes and patterns.
L to R: All images George Woodman, ceramic tile installation, 1984, Delavan-Canisius College Station, NFTA-Metro, Buffalo, NY.
George Woodman, ceramic tile installation, 1984, Delavan-Canisius College Station, NFTA-Metro, Buffalo, NY.
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.
L to R: Betty Woodman. "Balustrade Relief Vase 00-5," 2000. 81 x 67 x 8 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint / Detail: George Woodman. "Low Balustrade Screen (Garden Balustrade Screen)," 1981 / George Woodman. "Low Balustrade Screen (Garden Balustrade Screen)," 1981 42 x 151 ½ in. Each panel 42 x 30 in. Acrylic paint on canvas.
L to R: Betty Woodman. "Balustrade Relief Vase 00-5," 2000. 81 x 67 x 8 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint / Detail: George Woodman. "Low Balustrade Screen (Garden Balustrade Screen)," 1981 42 x 151 ½ in. Each panel 42 x 30 in. Acrylic paint on canvas.
"Betty Woodman and George Woodman" preview in "Financial Times," February 26, 2023
Read Ajesh Patalay's preview of "Betty Woodman and George Woodman" on view now through September 10, 2023 at Charleston, East Sussex, UK.