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L to R: 1: Agnes Gund and Betty Woodman, Antella, Italy, c. 2000s | 2: Agnes Gund and George Woodman, Italy, c. 1990s. Woodman Family Foundation Archives.
Agnes Gund and Betty Woodman, Antella, Italy, c. 2000s. Woodman Family Foundation Archives
Celebrating the life and impact of Agnes Gund
Tireless advocate and patron saint of art and social justice. Devoted friend and supporter to so many artists, curators, and institutions, including Betty Woodman and George Woodman and many of our Board members. Equity-focused creator of Studio in a School and the Studio Institute, whose summer interns we've been fortunate to host for many years.
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L to R: 1: “Chandelier”, 2004. Glass, gold, painted aluminum, wire and light bulbs, 24 x 71 x 31 inches, detail view | 2: “Chandelier”, 2004 | 3: Excerpt, correspondence between Betty Woodman’s studio and vendors, January 2004 | 4: Excerpt, correspondence between Betty Woodman’s studio and vendors, May 2004 | 5: Liquid gold samples, fired at 620° C for 30 min. | 6: Betty Woodman’s notes | 7: “La Coupe des Plaisirs”, 2003/2004. Glass, gold | 8: Packing list, Reusche & Co., 2007 | 9: “Charpentier”, 2007. Glazed soft-paste porcelain | 10: “Rosa Bonheur”, 2007. Glazed soft-paste porcelain | 11: “Chardin”, 2007. Porcelain | 12: Gold foil samples, Italy | 13: "Santa Maria Della Quercia Drawing”, 2005. Terra sigillata, ink and gold leaf on paper. Woodman Family Foundation Archives. All artworks by Betty Woodman © Woodman Family Foundation / ARS, New York
Betty Woodman, detail of “Chandelier”, 2004, 24x71x31 in. Glass, gold, painted aluminum, wire and light bulbs © Woodman Family Foundation / ARS, New York
Betty Woodman's pursuit of gold. FROM THE ARCHIVES
Betty Woodman's creative process was deeply informed by travel and she often returned home with ideas sparked by experiences working abroad, drawing inspiration from the techniques she encountered during residencies. An example of these influences is Woodman’s pursuit of the radiant gold that appears throughout her work.
L to R: 1: George Woodman. “Paper Tilings,” 1981. Installation view, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, 1981 | 2, 3: Correspondence from Betty to George, 1952. Woodman Family Foundation Archives | 4: Detail from “Paper Tilings,” 1981, Wright State University | 5: Henri Matisse. “La Vierge et l’Enfant,” 1950. From “Matisse: From Color to Architecture” | 6: George Woodman. Paper tiles, 1980. Installation view, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO, 1980 | 7: Henri Matisse. “L’Oiseau,” 1946. From “Matisse: From Color to Architecture” | 8: Spread from “Matisse: From Color to Architecture” | 9: Chapelle du Rosaire, Vence, France. Photo © David Huguenin | 10: George Woodman. “Sentimental Geometry,” 1981, 120 x 252 in. Hand-painted paper tiles. Installation view, Yellowstone Art Center, Billings, MT, 1981 | 11: Chapelle du Rosaire, Vence, France. Photo © Musée Matisse de Nice | 12: Betty Woodman. “The Chapel,” 2011, 105 x 86 x 13 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint, wood, canvas | 13: Henri Matisse. “L’Arbre de Vie,” 1949. From “Matisse: From Color to Architecture” | 14: Betty Woodman. “Windows of Matisse,” 2005, 37 x 44 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, paint | 15: Page from “Paper Tilings by George Woodman,” 1981 | 16: “Matisse: From Color to Architecture” by René Percheron and Christian Brouder, 2004. Works by Matisse © Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Works by Betty Woodman and George Woodman © Woodman Family Foundation / ARS, New York
George Woodman. “Paper Tilings,” 1981. Installation view, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, 1981 © Woodman Family Foundation / ARS, New York
Matisse’s influence on the Woodman family: La Chapelle du Rosaire. FROM THE ARCHIVES
Matisse’s influence on the Woodman family is evident not only in the joie de vivre and cut-out forms of Betty Woodman’s ceramic sculptures, but also in the architectural sensibilities that inform both her and George Woodman’s work. George’s site-specific paper tile installations, in particular, invite comparison to Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire—not through direct lineage, but through a shared devotion to formal clarity, and the transformative potential of scale and repetition.
L to R: 1-3, 5, 6: Installation views, “The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler,” Museum of Arts and Design, 2025 | 4: Betty Woodman. “Indonesian Napkin Holder,” 1984, 18 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 10 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York | 7: Installation view, “The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler" © Museum of Arts and Design
Installation view, “The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler,” Museum of Arts and Design, 2025
NOW ON VIEW: Betty Woodman in "The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler,” 2025
Curated by potter, interior designer, and author Jonathan Adler, this vibrant exhibition at MAD brings together over 60 works from the museum’s permanent collection, juxtaposed with Adler’s own iconic designs.
L to R: 1, 5: Installation views from “Places to Dream,” Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, Aalborg, Denmark, 2025 © Niels Fabæk, Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg | 2: “Untitled,” 1980. Archival pigment print | 3: “Untitled,” 1979, 3 3/8 x 3 1/2 in. Digital chromogenic print | 4: “Untitled,” 1979, 3 3/8 x 3/12 in. Digital chromogenic print | 6: “Space2, 1976, from the Space2 series. 5 7/8 x 5 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print. All artworks by Francesca Woodman © Woodman Family Foundation / VISDA, Copenhagen
NOW ON VIEW: Francesca Woodman in "Places to Dream," Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, Aalborg, Denmark, 2025
This September marks the final opportunity to view Places to Dream, an exhibition featuring photographs by Francesca Woodman alongside works by Cindy Sherman, Ana Mendieta, Birgit Jürgenssen, and Nan Goldin, among others.
L to R: 1: Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” 1976, 6 1/2 x 7 in. Gelatin silver print | 2: Betty Woodman. “Beach Girls,” 2013, 21 x 31 1/2 in. India ink, clay, pencil and acrylic paint on paper | 3: Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” 1976, 6 3/8 x 6 3/8 in. Gelatin silver print | 4: Betty Woodman. “At the Beach,” 2007, 50 x 84 1/2 x 0 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware, canvas, terra sigillata | 5: Francesca Woodman. “Seashore Circle,” 1976, 5 3/16 x 5 3/16 in. Gelatin silver print | 6: Betty Woodman. “Balustrade Relief Vase: 97-8,” 1997, 57 x 62 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware | 7: George Woodman. “Betty at the Seashore,” 1995, 12 x 9 1/2 in. Gelatin silver print | 8: Betty Woodman. “Low Triptych: Seaside Still Life,” 2006, 24 1/2 x 74 1/2 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint | 9: Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” c. 1979-80, 6 1/2 x 9 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print | 10: Betty Woodman. “Posing with Vases at the Beach,” 2008, 33 x 81 x 6 3/4 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, paint | 11: Betty Woodman. “Conversations on the Shore,” 1994, 84 x 142 x 53 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, paint © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” 1976, 6 1/2 x 7 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
The Woodmans and the alluring shores
Betty Woodman, Francesca Woodman, and George Woodman also succumbed to the lure of beaches and seashores in their work, each artist reimagining the beachscape with a distinct sensibility and overlapping visual languages.
L to R: 1: Betty Woodman. “Lake View,” 2013, 60 x 46 x 11 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint, wood, canvas | 2: George Woodman. “Love Nests at Lake Lemon,” 1962, 38 x 50 in. Oil on canvas | 3: Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” 1979, 3 13/16 x 3 13/16 in. Gelatin silver print | 4: Betty Woodman. “Lago di Como,” 1995, 26 1/2 x 43 1/2 x 10 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware | 5: George Woodman. “Untitled,” c. 2000, 19 1/8 x 10 in. Gelatin silver print | 6: Betty Woodman. “Deco Lake Shore,” 2002, 24 x 50 in. Terra sigilatta, wax, acrylic paint, graphite on paper. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. | 7: Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” c. 1972-75, 3 7/8 x 5 7/8 in. Gelatin silver print | 8: George Woodman. “Swimming at Kippy Stroud’s,” 2002, 16 x 20. Gelatin silver print | 9: Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," c.1979-80, 4 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Betty Woodman. “Lake View,” 2013, 60 x 46 x 11 1/2 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint, wood, canvas © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
The Woodmans and the serenity of lakes
This summer, take in the fluid beauty of water as seen through the eyes of Betty Woodman, George Woodman, and Francesca Woodman.
Francesca Woodman. "Untitled," 1980, 89 1/2 x 36 1/4 in. Diazotype © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
"Re-Presentations of the Past: Through Francesca Woodman's Lens" by Ambar-Vasquez Mitra
We are pleased to share “Re-Presentations of the Past: Through Francesca Woodman’s Lens” by Ambar Vasquez-Mitra, who was our Research Intern this summer through the Studio Institute Arts Intern program.
Betty Woodman. "Wall Vase," c. 1980s, approx. 25 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 7 in. Glazed earthenware © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
"Betty Woodman: Images of Function” by Layaan Roufai
We are pleased to share “Betty Woodman: Images of Function” by Layaan Roufai, who was our Library & Archives intern this summer through the Studio Institute Arts Intern program.
L to R: 1: “Still Life, Little Vase, Vivienne,” 2003, 23 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. | 2: “Dialogue of the Dresses” or “Antella Still Life,” 1999, 16 x 20 in. | 3: “Still Life with Picture of Eleanora,” 2009, 23 3/4 x 20 in. | 4: “Still Life with Rachel” or “Childhood Memories,” 1997, 20 x 16 in. | 5: “Vatican Mysteries,” 1996, 42 x 33 in. | 6: “Kitty and Rabbit on the Classical Past” or “Rococo Still Life,” 1993, 20 x 16 in. | 7: “Italian Still Life,” 2000, 24 x 30 in. | 8: “Saskia Disrobing in Still Life” or “Saskia and Fruit,” 2003, 20 x 24 in. All gelatin silver prints. All artworks by George Woodman © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
George Woodman. “Still Life, Little Vase, Vivienne,” 2003, 23 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print © Woodman Family Foundation / SIAE, Rome
George Woodman's still life photography
George Woodman’s still life photography bears unmistakable traces of his decades-long career as a painter: His compositions—re-photographed prints and negatives, fruits and drapery, sculptures and paintings collapsed into a single pictorial space—are at once witty and rich in art historical allusion.
L to R: 1: “Azulejas - Oribe Memory,” 2003, 34 x 68 x 9 in. | 2: Portuguese Tile Vases & Their Audience,” 2001, approx. 35 x 38 x 8 in. | 3: Azulejaria barroca portuguesa: Figuras de convite” by Luísa Arruda, 1993; “Waves of influence: cinco séculos do azulejo português” by Olivia Georgia, 1995; “Caminho do oriente: Guia do azulejo” by Luísa Arruda, 1998; “Azulejaria portuguesa” by José Meco, 1985 | 4: “Portuguese Vases,” 2005, 17 x 87 x 7 in. | 5: “Chinese and Vietnamese Ceramics with Highlights from The Brow Collection.” Published by Zetterquist Galleries, 2017 | 6: “The Ming Sisters,” 2003, 32 x 81 x 8 in. | 7: “Blue Girl,” 2005, 30 x 70 x 9 in. | 8: “Untitled #15 [Study for Edition by Sèvres, Blue],” 2011/2012, 2 1/2 x 8 x 4 1/2 in. | 9: “Persian Pillow Pitcher No. 6,” 1981 | 10: “Persian Ceramics and Related Materials” by Eric J. Zetterquist, 1993 | 11: “Pillow Pitcher: Delft,” 1996, 24 x 26 x 23 in. | 12: “Divided Vases: Classic Vases - Observed,” 2002, 30 x 29 x 10 1/2 in. | 13: “Baroque Diptych,” 2001, 36 x 63 x 8 in. | 14: “Kimono Vases: October,” 1990, 30 3/4 x 43 x 9 1/2 in. | 15: “Vase and Shadow: Spiral Vase with Blue Shadow,” c. 1980s, 29 x 21 x 2 in. | 16: Page from “The Studio Potter,” Vol. 35, No. 1, December 2006. Works by Betty Woodman © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Betty Woodman, “Azulejas - Oribe Memory,” 2003, 34 x 68 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Betty Woodman's favorite ceramic color, blue, and her body of work
Betty Woodman is known for her exuberant body of work, which is often bathed in vivid hues of yellow, fuchsia, red, and orange. Yet in the December 2006 issue of The Studio Potter devoted solely to color, she confessed—“without a moment’s hesitation”—that blue was her favorite.
L to R: 1: Francesca Woodman, “Untitled,” 1980, Gelatin silver print, 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. | 2: Gian Lorenzo Bernini, “Apollo and Daphne,” 1622–1625, Galleria Borghese, Rome | 3: Francesca Woodman, “Untitled,” 1980, Gelatin silver print, 3 15/16 x 4 in. | 4: Francesca Woodman, “Untitled,” 1980, Gelatin silver print, 10 5/8 x 13 1/2 in. | - 5: Alexander Pope’s sketch of the shield of Achilles. MS 4808 © The British Library | 6: Cy Twombly, “Fifty Days at Iliam: Shield of Achilles,” 1978 © Cy Twombly Foundation | 7: Cover of Parentheses of Reception. All Francesca Woodman artworks © Woodman Family Foundation / BILDKUNST, Bonn
Francesca Woodman, “Untitled,” 1980, Gelatin silver print, 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (11.43 x 11.43 cm) © Woodman Family Foundation / BILDKUNST, Bonn
Brooke Holmes on Francesca Woodman in "Parentheses of Reception," 2025: READING ROOM
Published in May 2025, the anthology "Parentheses of Reception" explores how the parenthesis, a rhetorical figure of speech and thought, can offer fresh insights into classical reception studies by conceptualizing Greco-Roman antiquity as being both “inserted into” and “remaining apart” from the present.