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NOW ON VIEW: Francesca Woodman in “Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection” and “The ‘70s Lens: Reimagining Documentary Photography,” 2024

L to R: Francesca Woodman, “Untitled," c. 1976, 4 7/8 x 5 1/8 in. Courtesy Elton John and David Furnish Collection. | Exhibition poster, “Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection” with Harley Weir, “Boys Don’t Cry, Senegal, 2015,” 2015 © Harley Weir | Francesca Woodman, “Untitled,” 1979, 5 7/8 x 5 13/16 in. | Detail from installation view of “Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection," Victoria and Albert Museum, 2024. Image courtesy and copyright Victoria and Albert Museum & James Retief | Exhibition graphic, “The ‘70s Lens: Reimagining Documentary Photography” with Anthony Barboza, “New York City,” 1970s © Anthony Barboza Photography | Francesca Woodman, “Untitled,” c. 1977-78, 5 9/16 x 5 3/8 in. | Francesca Woodman, “House #3,” c. 1975-76, from the “Abandoned House” series, 6 3/8 x 6 7/16 in. All Francesca Woodman works gelatin silver prints © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, London
L to R: Francesca Woodman, “Untitled," c. 1976, 4 7/8 x 5 1/8 in. Courtesy Elton John and David Furnish Collection. | Exhibition poster, “Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection” with Harley Weir, “Boys Don’t Cry, Senegal, 2015,” 2015 © Harley Weir | Francesca Woodman, “Untitled,” 1979, 5 7/8 x 5 13/16 in. | Detail from installation view of “Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection," Victoria and Albert Museum, 2024. Image courtesy and copyright Victoria and Albert Museum & James Retief | Exhibition graphic, “The ‘70s Lens: Reimagining Documentary Photography” with Anthony Barboza, “New York City,” 1970s © Anthony Barboza Photography | Francesca Woodman, “Untitled,” c. 1977-78, 5 9/16 x 5 3/8 in. | Francesca Woodman, “House #3,” c. 1975-76, from the “Abandoned House” series, 6 3/8 x 6 7/16 in. All Francesca Woodman works gelatin silver prints © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, London

This fall, check out two group exhibitions showcasing works by Francesca Woodman. Known for her performative approach to photography, Woodman stages the female body and intervenes in the environment to create narratives rich in metaphor.

Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
On view through January 5, 2025

This exhibition explores the connection between strength and vulnerability inherent in the human condition through the works of 20th and 21st century photographers across eight thematic sections. Two photographs by Woodman are showcased alongside works by Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, Ai Weiwei, Diane Arbus, among others.

The ‘70s Lens: Reimagining Documentary Photography
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
On view through April 6, 2025

This exhibition examines how photographers reinvented documentary practice during the tumultuous 1970s in American life. Performance artists in this decade of uncertainty rejected traditional modes of art making by presenting live actions that centered the body as a primary source of meaning and material, from exploring the human body through choreographed actions to constructing histories that pushed the boundaries between truth and fiction. Two Woodman photographs are shown alongside works by Ana Mendieta, Tseng Kwong Chi, David Wojnarowicz, William Eggleston, among others.

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