From the Archives
A look back
L to R: Betty Woodman, Italy, c. 1965-66 / Betty Woodman, Charles Woodman, and Francesca Woodman, Italy, c. 1960s / Charles Woodman and friend, Italy, c. 1966 / Betty Woodman and friends, Italy, c. 1966 / Betty Woodman, Francesca Woodman, and friend, Antella, Italy, c. 1968 / Betty Woodman and friends, Antella, Italy, c. 1980 / Betty Woodman, Antella, Italy, c. 1995 / George Woodman, Antella, Italy, c. 1995 / Betty Woodman, George Woodman, and friends, Antella, Italy, c. 1995.
Betty Woodman, Italy, c. 1965-66.
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.
L to R: George Woodman, c. 1960s-1990s.
George Woodman, c. 1960s.
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.
L to R: All artworks by Francesca Woodman. 1 & 3: Installation view, MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1980 / "Study for Tree Piece,” New York, c. 1980. 14 1/2 x 15 1/4 in. Diazotype / 4-5: “Untitled,” MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1980. 2 13/16 x 9 15/16 in. Gelatin silver print. Letter on reverse of print / “Untitled,” MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1980. 11 x 14 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. Installation view, MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1980.
Francesca Woodman, MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1980: From the Archives...
Francesca Woodman spent three weeks in July of 1980 on a fellowship at the MacDowell Colony, surrounded by other artists, as well as musicians, poets, novelists and the forests of rural New Hampshire. She arrived there from New York, already thinking about trees.
L to R: The Woodman family and friends throughout the years in Antella, Italy, c. 1960s-2010s.
The Woodman family and friends, Antella, Italy, c. 1960s.
The breakfast nook, Antella, Italy, c. 1960s-2010s: From the Archives...
For over fifty years, the Woodman family has enjoyed many meals and conversations in the breakfast nook at their farmhouse in Antella, Italy. Built in a circular space that had originally housed a brick oven, the nook overlooks the hills of Tuscany and spectacular sunsets.
L to R: Betty Woodman and George Woodman, Boulder, Colorado, c. 1980s-90s / Betty Woodman and George Woodman featured in “Daily Camera,” February 14, 1993.
Betty Woodman and George Woodman featured in “Boulder Camera,” February 14, 1993.
Betty Woodman and George Woodman featured in "Daily Camera," February 14, 1993: From the Archives...
Happy anniversary to George and Betty Woodman! They were married on this day in 1953. In this 1993 profile in the Daily Camera, “Boulder’s best known international couple least known in their hometown” reflects on their art and their shared commitment to it and each other.
L to R: Various installation views: "Pitti rivisatto,” Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy, 1997 / All artworks by George Woodman. Image 2: “Pitti, Medea, Roses,” c. 1988. 41 1/4 x 72 in / Image 4: “Untitled,” 1990. 41 1/4 x 78 in / Image 6: “Untitled,” c. 1990s. 24 x 20 in / Image 9: “Untitled,” 1990. 41 1/4 x 59 in. All gelatin silver prints.
Installation view, "Pitti rivisatto,” Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy, 1997.
George Woodman, “Pitti rivisatto," Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy, 1997: From the Archives...
Twenty-five years ago this month, George Woodman’s solo exhibition, "Pitti rivisatto," opened at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, and remained on view all summer long. His layered black and white photographs take this Renaissance palace as their subject, but also as an opportunity to reflect on time and the experiences carried within each viewer.
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L to R: 1-2: "Segno: Notiziario di arte contemporanea," Issue 9, summer 1978 / Francesca Woodman. "From Space2,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. 6 3/8 x 6 3/8 in. Gelatin silver print.
"Segno: Notiziario di arte contemporanea," Issue 9, summer 1978.
Francesca Woodman, Segno Magazine, 1978: From the Archives...
In the summer of 1978, Francesca Woodman’s photograph “Space 2” was featured in the Italian contemporary art magazine “Segno.” In the accompanying text, she explained that her original idea for the image came from her desire to illustrate literary metaphors but evolved over a group of photographs into a kind of story following a figure who explores these metaphors.
L to R: Images 1-6: Betty Woodman. “Impruneta Flower Pots,” c. 1998-2004. Variable dimensions. Terra cotta. Views in Antella, Italy / Betty Woodman with Tullio Orlandi, Italy, c. 1998-2004.
Betty Woodman. “Impruneta Flower Pots,” c. 1998-2004. Variable dimensions. Terra cotta. Views in Antella, Italy.
Betty Woodman, "Impruneta Flowers Pots," c. 1998-2004, Antella, Italy: From the Archives...
Over summers spent in Antella, Italy, Betty Woodman often developed projects which could only be realized there. From 1998-2004, she collaborated with a pottery in Impruneta—a nearby town renowned for its terra cotta clay—enlivening their standard-issue garden planters with her vase-shaped façades and signature brushstrokes.
.L to R: Artworks by George Woodman. "War Sadness Escape," 1999. 42 x 39 in. Gelatin silver print / Images 2 & 4: Installation views, “Contrapposto & Other Stories,” Jeff Bailey Gallery, New York, 2014 / "Boboli: Fountain of Neptune,” 1997. 71 3/4 x and 41 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
George Woodman. “War Sadness Escape,” 1999. 42 x 39 in. Gelatin silver print.
George Woodman's camera obscura photographs in "Contrapposto & Other Stories," Jeff Bailey Gallery, New York, 2014: From the Archives...
Summertime is here again, and each year it has brought with it a fresh crop of summer group shows around New York City. Here’s one from 2014: George Woodman’s camera obscura photographs were included in “Contrapposto & Other Stories,” curated by Katia Rosenthal at Jeff Bailey Gallery in Chelsea.
L to R: Betty Woodman, Boulder, Colorado, c. 1960s / 2-3: Betty Woodman, Antella, Italy, c. 2010s.
Betty Woodman, Boulder, Colorado, c. 1960s.
Betty Woodman, born on this day in 1930: From the Archives...
Betty Woodman, life-long lover of flowers of all stripes, was born on this day in 1930. Happy birthday, Betty!
L to R: George Woodman in his early studio, Albuquerque, c. 1950s / George Woodman with one of his paintings, Boulder, c. 1970s / George Woodman in his studio, New York, c. 2000s.
George Woodman in his early studio, Albuquerque, c. 1950s.
George Woodman, born on this day in 1932: From the Archives...
"At age fourteen I decided to become an artist, ambition enough for my life,” George Woodman once wrote. And over the next seven decades, he did just that, working fervently as a painter and photographer, and also as a writer and professor. Today, we celebrate George, who was born on this day in 1932!
L to R: All artworks by Betty Woodman. Images 1-2: Installation views of “Horizontal Garden” (2005), The Great Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006. 29 x 32 x 18 in. Glazed earthenware / Installation view of “The Art of Betty Woodman,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, April 25—July 30, 2006. Photographs by Eli Ping.
Installation view of Betty Woodman's “Horizontal Garden” (2005), The Great Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006. 29 x 32 x 18 in. Glazed earthenware. Photograph by Eli Ping.
Betty Woodman, Met Vases, 2006: From the Archives...
Spring flowers always remind us of Betty Woodman, and particularly her vases in the Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which greeted visitors to the museum with their bold colors, overlapping patterns and allusions to vases and gardens, holding an ever-changing display of seasonal blooms. They were installed on the occasion of her 2006 retrospective there—the first time the museum dedicated such an exhibition to a living woman artist.