Spotlight

Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories

Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
November 2 - December 23, 2021

Press

Videos

Backstories

Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories was a solo presentation of vintage photographs by Francesca Woodman at Marian Goodman Gallery, New York from November 2 - December 23, 2021. The exhibition included more than twenty previously unseen works, and drew on the artist's writings about her practice in newly available archival material from the Foundation's holdings. The show presented thematic threads and groupings of images in relational contexts, offering a fresh perspective on Woodman's work.

Here you'll find a round-up of press about the exhibition; video vignettes by an array of art historians, curators and artists speaking on Woodman's photographs; and our own "backstories," which share additional archival materials and images which shed light on specific works in the exhibition.

Please also visit Marian Goodman Gallery's website to learn more about the exhibition and the related catalogue with a newly commissioned essay by novelist and critic Chris Kraus.

Press

Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Boulder, Colorado, c. 1975. 7 1/8 x 7 3/16 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Boulder, Colorado, c. 1975. 7 1/8 x 7 3/16 in. Gelatin silver print.
"Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" featured in 4Columns Magazine, November 12, 2021
Courtesy The Brooklyn Rail.
Courtesy The Brooklyn Rail.
"Alternate Stories: Francesca Woodman" Panel hosted by the Brooklyn Rail: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Rome, Italy, 1977-78. 3 7/8 x 3 7/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Rome, Italy, 1977-78. 3 7/8 x 3 7/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
"Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" featured in The New York Times, December 1, 2021
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
"Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" featured in The Art Newspaper, December 17, 2021
L to R: Francesca Woodman in XIBT Magazine, November 2021.
Francesca Woodman in XIBT Magazine, November 2021.
"Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" featured in XIBT Magazine, November 2021
Francesca Woodman. Contact sheet, Italy, c. 1977-78. 8 x 10 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. Contact sheet, Italy, c. 1977-78. 8 x 10 in. Gelatin silver print.
"Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" on Yale Radio with Lissa McClure and Brainard Carey
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Italy, 1977-78. 3 7/8 x 3 7/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Italy, 1977-78. 3 7/8 x 3 7/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
"Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" featured in BBC Culture, December 12, 2021

Videos

Video vignettes by scholars, curators, and artists commissioned by Marian Goodman Gallery on the occasion of the exhibition: Chris Kraus, Drew Sawyer, Isolde Brielmaier, Kevin Moore, Elisabeth Sussman, Sabina Mirri, and Rosalind Krauss.

Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 7 3/8 x 9 1/2 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 7 3/8 x 9 1/2 in. Gelatin silver print.
Chris Kraus on the work of Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York

In this video, Chris Kraus, the American critic and writer, talks through Francesca Woodman's artistic process.

Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 4 3/8 x 4 3/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 4 3/8 x 4 3/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Drew Sawyer on the work of Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York

In this video, Drew Sawyer, the Brooklyn Museum's Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Curator, discusses Woodman's historical references and artistic affinities among her and her peers.

Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Rome, Italy, 1977-78. 4 5/8 x 4 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
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

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," MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1980. 5 5/8 x 5 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1980. 5 5/8 x 5 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Isolde Brielmaier on the work of Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York

In this video, Isolde Brielmaier, Deputy Director of the New Museum and the Curator-at-Large at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York, shares her thoughts on Woodman’s use of the body and the nude in her highly crafted photographs.

Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1980. 5 5/8 x 5 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1980. 5 5/8 x 5 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Kevin Moore on the work of Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York

In this video, Kevin Moore, a New York based curator and writer, on Woodman's Victorian aesthetic, identity exploration and the artist's role in her artistic narrative.

Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," New York, 1979-80. 5 x 5 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," New York, 1979-80. 5 x 5 in. Gelatin silver print.
Elisabeth Sussman on the work of Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery New York

In this video, Elisabeth Sussman, the Curator and Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography at the Whitney Museum of American Art, contextualizes Woodman's work within the framework of its era.

Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Rome, Italy, 1977. 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," Rome, Italy, 1977. 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
Sabina Mirri on the work of Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York

In this video, Sabina Mirri, Italian artist and close friend of Woodman, shares her memories and impressions of Woodman as a singular, compelling young woman and artist during her time in Rome.

Francesca Woodman. "Horizontale," Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. 5 1/4 x 4 7/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. "Horizontale," Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. 5 1/4 x 4 7/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Rosalind Krauss on the work of Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York

In this video, Rosalind Krauss, art critic and theorist and Columbia University professor, discusses her initial responses to Woodman’s photographs when co-curating the retrospective exhibition at Hunter and Wellesley Colleges in 1986. She advocates for the formal power and intelligence of Woodman’s work, then and still today.

Backstories

Additional images and materials from Woodman’s archive which shed light on her process and elaborate on specific works in the exhibition.

L to R: All images by Francesca Woodman. “Untitled," Florence, Italy, c. 1976. 4 5/8 x 4 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print / “Untitled," Florence, Italy, c. 1976. 4 5/8 x 4 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print / “Untitled,” Florence, Italy, c. 1976. 5 3/16 x 5 3/16 in. Gelatin silver print / Images 4-7: “Untitled,” made at La Specola, Florence, Italy, c. 1971.
Francesca Woodman. “Untitled," Florence, Italy, c. 1976. 4 5/8 x 4 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
La Specola Museum, Florence, Italy: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories,” Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
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,” Italy, 1978. 4 9/16 x 4 9/16 in. Gelatin silver print / “Untitled,” Italy, 1978. 4 5/8 x 4 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. Contact sheet, Italy, c. 1978. 10 x 8 in. Gelatin silver print.
"Ideas in Antella," Antella, Italy: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
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.
Francesca Woodman. “Splatter Paint,” Rome, Italy, 1977-78. 4 5/8 x 4 5/8 in.
Ugo Ferranti Gallery, Rome, Italy: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
L to R: All artworks by Francesca Woodman. 1-6: Select pages and cover from "Some Disordered Interior Geometries,” 1981. From original artist book, 24 pages + cover / “Angels,” Rome, Italy, 1977-78. 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print / “Untitled,” Rome, Italy, 1977-78. 4 9/16 x 4 11/16 in.
Francesca Woodman. Pages from "Some Disordered Interior Geometries,” 1981. From original artist book, 24 pages + cover.
"Some Disordered Interior Geometries," Rome, Italy: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
L to R: All artworks by Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 / “Untitled,” Italy, c. 1976. 4 5/8 x 4 5/8 in / “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. 5 3/8 x 5 9/16 in / “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 4 1/16 x 4 3/16 in. All gelatin silver prints.
Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
Glimpses of hands and feet, Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery New York
L to R: Artworks and contact sheet by Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 6 3/4 x 6 3/4 in / Contact sheet, Providence, Rhode Island, c. 1975-78. 10 x 8 in / “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 7 3/8 x 9 1/2 in. All gelatin silver prints. © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 6 3/4 x 6 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
Contact sheets, Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
L to R: Artworks by Francesca Woodman. “A waltz in three parts - 3,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 5 7/16 x 5 7/16 in / “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in / “A waltz in three parts,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in / “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 5 1/2 x 7 3/8 in / “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 5 1/2 x 6 1/2 in / “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 7 3/8 x 7 3/8 in.
Francesca Woodman. “A waltz in three parts - 3,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 5 7/16 x 5 7/16 in. Gelatin silver print.
The shroud, Francesca Woodman: "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York

Press

Videos

Video vignettes by scholars, curators, and artists commissioned by Marian Goodman Gallery on the occasion of the exhibition: Chris Kraus, Drew Sawyer, Isolde Brielmaier, Kevin Moore, Elisabeth Sussman, Sabina Mirri, and Rosalind Krauss.

Video still from "Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s." Produced by David Kordansky Gallery Studio footage of Betty Woodman excerpted from the documentary Betty Woodman: Thinking Out Loud (1991), © Charles Woodman Voiceover excerpted from an interview with John Perreault Exhibition footage by Sean Hanley Editing by Destefano DeLuise.
Video still from "Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s." Produced by David Kordansky Gallery. Studio footage of Betty Woodman excerpted from the documentary Betty Woodman: Thinking Out Loud (1991), © Charles Woodman. Voiceover excerpted from an interview with John Perreault. Exhibition footage by Sean Hanley Editing by Destefano DeLuise.
"Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s," David Kordansky Gallery, New York, October 29-December 17, 2022

Backstories

Additional images and materials from Woodman’s archive which shed light on her process and elaborate on specific works in the exhibition.

L to R: All artworks by Betty Woodman. “Balustrade Relief Vase #52,” 1992. 82 x 45 x 10 in / “Athens,” 1991. 35 1/2 x 69 x 10 in / “Seashore,” 1998. 26 x 59 x 9 in. All artworks glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer and paint. All images Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery. Photography: Phoebe d’Heurle.
Betty Woodman. “Balustrade Relief Vase #52,” 1992. 82 x 45 x 10 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer and paint. Image Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery. Photography: Phoebe d’Heurle.
Opening this week! "Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s," David Kordansky Gallery, New York, October 29-December 17, 2022
L to R: All artworks by Betty Woodman. Images 1, 3, 5: Installation view, "Betty Woodman," Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1996 / Image 2: “Women at the Fountain,” 1992. 86 x 144 x 57 in. Collection of the Flemish Community, Belgium / Image 4: “Conversations on the Shore,” 1994. 84 x 160 x 41 in / Image 6: “Sala da Pranzo,” 1995. 25 1/4 x 32 x 10 in. All artworks glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint / Image 7: Installation view, "Betty Woodman,” Musée d’Art Contemporain, Dunkerque, France, 1997. Images 4 & 6: Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery. Photography: Phoebe d’Heurle.
Installation view, "Betty Woodman," Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1996.
"Betty Woodman," Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1996: "Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s," David Kordansky Gallery, New York
L to R: All artworks Betty Woodman. "House of the South," 1994-1996. 159 x 246 x 9 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint / Images 1-2: Installation view, "Betty Woodman," Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1996 / Images 3: Installation view, "Betty Woodman,” Musée d’Art Contemporain, Dunkerque, France, 1997 / Images 4-5: Installation view, “Betty Woodman,” Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal, 1997 / Image 6: Installation view, “The Art of Betty Woodman,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, 2006. Photo: Eli Ping / Image 7: Installation view, "Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art," Hayward Gallery, London, England, 2022. Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy of the Hayward Gallery.
Installation view, "Betty Woodman," Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1996.
Betty Woodman's "House of the South," 1994-1996 in "Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art," Hayward Gallery, October 26, 2022-January 8, 2023
All artworks by Betty Woodman. “Kimono Vases ‘October’,” 1990. 30 3/4 x 43 x 9 1/2 in / “Still Life Vase #9,” 1990. 31 1/2 x 30 x 8 in / Images 3-5: “Double Vase Diptych,” 1996. 30 x 43 1/2 x 9 in / Images 6-8: “Two Women Vase Diptych,” 1996. 24 x 44 x 6 in / “Beccafumi Vase Triptych,” 1996. 33 1/2 x 74 1/2 x 10 1/2 in / “Balustrade Relief Vase 97-01,” 1997. 72 x 53 x 8 3/4 in. All artworks glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint. Images 1, 2 & 10: Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery. Photography: Phoebe d’Heurle.
Betty Woodman. “Kimono Vases ‘October’,” 1990. 30 3/4 x 43 x 9 1/2 in.
Betty Woodman reviews from the 1990s: "Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s," David Kordansky Gallery, New York, October 29-December 17, 2022
L to R: All artworks by Betty Woodman. Installation view, Max Protetch Gallery, New York, New York, 1986 / “Persian Silk Pillow Pitcher,” 1982. 19 x 23 x 13 in. Collection of Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / “Pesce Spada,” 1989. 11 x 26 x 21 in / “Indonesian Napkin Holder,” 1984. 18 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 10 in. Collection of Museum of Arts and Design, New York, New York / “Muscle Boys and Shadows,” 1984. 17 x 45 x 13 in / “Gentian,” 1986. 27 x 16 x 8 in / Installation view, “The Art of Betty Woodman,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, 2006. Photo: Eli Ping. All artworks glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint. Image 2: Courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Betty Woodman. Installation view, Max Protetch Gallery, New York, New York, 1986.
Betty Woodman works from the 1980s: "Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s," David Kordansky Gallery, New York, October 29-December 17, 2022
L to R: All artworks by Betty Woodman. Images 1-2: “January Kimono Vases #2,” 1995. 28 1/2 x 45 x 9 3/4 in / “Untitled Diptych,” c. 1994. 28 1/2 x 51 x 8 1/2 in / “Seashore,” 1998. 25 3/4 x 57 x 8 1/2 in / “Green Nude,” 2007. 33 x 33 3/4 x 6 3/4 in / “After the Bath,” 2011. 35 x 37 x 7 in / Images 7-8: “Fair Welcome and Pleasure,” 2008. 33 x 78 1/4 x 7 1/2 in / Images 9-10: “Kabuki Diptych,” 2016. 35 x 67 x 8 in. All artworks glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint. Images 1-4: Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery. Photography: Phoebe d’Heurle.
Betty Woodman. “January Kimono Vases #2,” 1995. 28 1/2 x 45 x 9 3/4 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint.
Betty Woodman's "Kimono Vases" and "Diptychs," 1990s: "Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s," David Kordansky Gallery, New York, October 29-December 17, 2022
L to R: All artworks by Betty Woodman. “Balustrade Relief Vase 6-94,” 1994. 62 x 47 x 9 in / “Balustrade Relief Vase 97-01,” 1997. 72 x 53 x 8 3/4 in / “Balustrade Relief Vase 96-11,” 1996. 68 1/2 x 74 x 9 in / “Balustrade Relief Vase 96-2,” 1996. 68 x 73 x 10 in / “Balustrade Relief Vase 03-3,” 2003. 48 x 110 x 9 1/2 in / Installation view, "Betty Woodman,” Museo Marino Marini, Florence, Italy, 2015 / “Of Botticelli,” 2013. 10 1/2 ft x 32 ft x 3/4 in / “Wallpaper 16,” 2017. 112 x 209 x 1 in / "Wallpaper 19,” 2017. 65 x 59 in / “Outside and In,” 2017. 75 1/2 x 120 x 10 1/2 in. Images 1-9: All artworks glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint / Image 10: Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, paint, canvas, and wood. Images 1-4: Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery. Photography: Phoebe d’Heurle.
Betty Woodman. “Balustrade Relief Vase 6-94,” 1994. 62 x 47 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint. Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery. Photography: Phoebe d’Heurle.
Betty Woodman's "Balustrade Relief Vases," 1990s: "Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s," David Kordansky Gallery, New York, October 29-December 17, 2022
L to R: Installation views, "Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s," David Kordansky Gallery, New York, 2022. All images Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery. Photography: Phoebe d’Heurle.
Installation view, "Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s," David Kordansky Gallery, New York, 2022. Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery. Photography: Phoebe d’Heurle.
CLOSING TOMORROW “Betty Woodman: Conversations on the Shore, Works from the 1990s," David Kordansky Gallery, New York, October 29-December 17, 2022
All images © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Design by condensed