George Woodman. “Untitled,” c. 1970. 96 x 134 in. Acrylic on canvas.
George Woodman. “Untitled,” c. 1970. 96 x 134 in. Acrylic on canvas.
George Woodman, "Untitled," c. 1970
Last week was an exciting one at the Woodman Family Foundation. Upon their long-awaited return to New York, we were treated to a room full of George Woodman’s paintings. And wow we were bowled over by how fresh and contemporary these paintings feel, despite the fact that they were made some 50 years ago. We were struck by the subtle and shifting interplay of color and pattern and the raw intelligence of George's approach, which are slowly revealed over the course of a lingering look. What a pleasure to see these ambitious and original works in person.
All images related to Betty Woodman’s “Bronze Bench #3,” 2003. 57 x 62 x 16 in. Bronze, patina. From L to R: clay models for bronze benches outside Betty’s studio in Antella, Italy / Benches in progress at the Fonderia with Betty’s full-scale drawing / Applying the patina according to Betty’s drawing / The finished bench arrives at Betty’s studio in Antella / Installation view in the courtyard of the Palazzo Pitti, Museo delle Porcellane, Florence, Italy, 2010 / Installation view, “Betty Woodman: In the Garden,” Greenwood Gardens, Short Hills, New Jersey, 2016 / Betty outside of her studio in Antella.
Clay models for Betty Woodman's bronze benches outside Betty’s studio in Antella, Italy, c. 2003.
Betty Woodman's functional bronze sculptures: From the Archives...
On occasion, Betty Woodman translated her abiding interest in the subject of function into materials other than clay, always pushing the possibilities of a particular medium. In 1999, she began an ongoing collaboration with Fonderia Artistica Belfiore in Pietrasanta, Italy, an idea which came from a conversation with her longtime gallerist, Max Protetch and was in part inspired by fellow gallery artist Scott Burton’s sculptural furniture, as well as the formal Italian gardens she had spent decades exploring.
L to R: Installation view, “Low Balustrade Screen” (1981) at Haber-Theodore Gallery, New York, 1982 / George Woodman. "Low Balustrade Screen," 1981. 151 1/2 x 42 in. Acrylic on canvas, five panels with hinges / Brochure for exhibition “Partitions” at Pratt Manhattan Center Gallery, New York, 1982.
Installation view, George Woodman, “Low Balustrade Screen” (1981) at Haber-Theodore Gallery, New York, 1982
George Woodman in "Partitions" at Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, 1982: From the Archives...
In the fall of 1982, the exhibition “Partitions” at Pratt Manhattan Center Gallery featured the work of 15 artists—including George Woodman—concerned with contemporary interpretations of screens. As hybrid sculptural, decorative, functional objects, partitions and interest in them were a kind of corollary to the burgeoning Pattern and Decoration Movement, and described by critic John Perreault, who wrote the exhibition’s essay, as “ubiquitous,” “a phenomenon,” and “a challenge to some preconceptions about art."
Letter from George Woodman to Francesca Woodman, September 4, 1977.
Letter from George Woodman to Francesca Woodman, September 4, 1977.
A letter from George Woodman to Francesca Woodman, September 4, 1977: From the Archives...
September of 1977 marked the start of new academic year for each of the Woodmans and the pursuit of teaching or studies in four different locations around the US and Europe. Francesca Woodman had just begun her fruitful year in Rome with the RISD European Honors Program, after spending some time in Antella. In a letter sent to her from Boulder, George Woodman recaps summer travels and reports on the rest of the family’s activities.
Francesca Woodman. “from Eel Series,” Venice, Italy, 1978. 8 1/2 x 8 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print. © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Francesca Woodman. “from Eel Series,” Venice, Italy, 1978. 8 1/2 x 8 5/8 in. Gelatin silver print. © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Francesca Woodman in “New Time: Art and Feminisms in the 21st Century” at University of California, Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), Berkeley, California, August 28, 2021-January 30, 2022
This ambitious survey of recent feminist practices in contemporary art begins with Lucy Lippard’s observation that feminist art is “a value system, a revolutionary strategy, a way of life.” While the majority of works on view were made in the first two decades of this century, highlighting the wide-ranging concerns and multiple perspectives of contemporary artists, influential works made by artists of earlier generations are also featured, including three photographs by Francesca Woodman.
L to R: Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. 5 1/4 x 5 3/16 in. Gelatin silver print. © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Claude Cahun. “Self-Portrait (in a cupboard),” 1932. Gelatin silver print. © Estate of Claude Cahun / Kirsten Justesen. “Portræt i arkiv med samling (Portrait in cabinet with collection),” 2013. 58 1/4 x 39 1/2 x 1 in. Chromogenic print mounted on Dibond with matte acrylic. © Kirsten Justesen.
Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. 5 1/4 x 5 3/16 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman, "Untitled," Providence, Rhode Island, 1976: STAFF PICKS
Hi, Celia Lê here! I am the Woodman Family Foundation’s Research Intern and my main responsibility is exhibition and provenance research for Francesca Woodman. Personally, I love how Francesca often investigates the relationship between the body and space, from the various textures created by the wall to the extension of her legs outside of the cupboard in this work.
George Woodman. Rachel's Gesture of Refusal, 1995. 41 3/4 x 36 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
George Woodman. "Rachel's Gesture of Refusal," 1995. 41 3/4 x 36 1/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
George Woodman, "Rachel's Gesture of Refusal," 1995: STAFF PICKS
Hi there, Eliza Little here. I am the Woodman Family Foundation’s Collections Assistant. While I now wear many hats in my job that involves helping to manage the artworks and archives of all three of our artists, my main responsibility when I first started in February 2018 was cataloguing the photographic works by George Woodman in our collection. During that time I became very familiar with George’s photographs, and coming from a background in photography myself, I felt an affinity with certain aspects of his work.
Envelope for letter from George Woodman in Boulder, Colorado to Francesca Woodman in Rome, Italy, October 19, 1977.
Envelope for letter from George Woodman in Boulder, Colorado to Francesca Woodman in Rome, Italy, October 19, 1977.
Betty Woodman, Francesca Woodman, and George Woodman in “Interior Scroll or What I Did on My Vacation” at S&S Corner Shop, The Art Building, Springs, New York, July 24-September 26, 2021
OPENING TOMORROW: Betty Woodman, Francesca Woodman, and George Woodman in “Interior Scroll or What I did on My Vacation” at S&S Corner Shop, The Art Building, Springs, New York. On view July 24 through September 26, 2021. Organized by Soft Network. We are pleased to announce that this exhibition includes a selection of correspondence written between Betty, Francesca and George Woodman in 1978, as well as Francesca Woodman’s “Selected Video Works,” 1976-1978.
Saul Steinberg show announcement from George Woodman to Betty Woodman, 1952; front and back.
Saul Steinberg show announcement from George Woodman to Betty Woodman, 1952; front and back.
Saul Steinberg show announcement from George Woodman to Betty Woodman, 1952: From the Archives...
George Woodman and Betty Abrahams wrote each other regularly beginning soon after they met in 1951—while Betty was at home in Newton, MA and later in Fiesole, Italy and George at home in Concord, NH or at school at Harvard in Cambridge, MA—until they married in 1953. In 1952, after a trip to New York and a visit to an exhibition of drawings by Saul Steinberg (fellow lover of cats, who drew them frequently), George sent Betty this show announcement, remarking “these wonderful cats I got for you when I was in N.Y.”
L to R: All artworks by Francesca Woodman. Installation view, “Rincontrarsi a Venezia,” Spazio Berlendis, Venice, Italy, 2021, including “Caryatid,” New York, 1980. 101.93 x 36.62 in. Diazotype / "Self-Deceit #2,” Rome, Italy, 1978. 3 9/16 x 3 1/2 in. / “Self-Deceit #7,” 1978, Rome, Italy. 4 3/8 x 4 1/2 in. Gelatin silver print. Both gelatin silver prints.
L to R: All artworks by Francesca Woodman. Installation view, “Rincontrarsi a Venezia,” Spazio Berlendis, Venice, Italy, 2021, including “Caryatid,” New York, 1980. 101.93 x 36.62 in. Archival pigment print / "Self-Deceit #2,” Rome, Italy, 1978. 3 9/16 x 3 1/2 in. / “Self-Deceit #7,” 1978, Rome, Italy. 4 3/8 x 4 1/2 in. Gelatin silver print. Both gelatin silver prints.
Francesca Woodman in “Rincontrarsi a Venezia” at Spazio Berlendis, Venice, Italy, June 5-July 17, 2021
LAST CHANCE TO SEE Francesca Woodman in Rincontrarsi a Venezia at Spazio Berlendis, Venice, Italy. On view through July 17, 2021.
Betty Woodman. “Zante,” 1985. 31 x 21 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint.
Betty Woodman. “Zante,” 1985. 31 x 21 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint.
Betty Woodman in “With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art 1972-1985” at Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, June 26 - November 28, 2021
This ambitious exhibition, curated by Anna Katz, brings together American artists, including Betty Woodman, associated with the Pattern and Decoration movement in the first such comprehensive and scholarly survey. The exhibition showcases painting, sculpture, collage, ceramics, installation and performance which embraced craft-based and decorative traditions and approached art-making from a sometimes dizzying appreciation of historic sources and feminist aesthetics.
Family photographs of the Woodman’s sightseeing in Italy, circa 1959-60 and 1965-66.
George, Charles and Francesca Woodman in Rome, Italy, 1966.
The Woodman family explores Italy, circa 1959-60 and 1965-66: From the Archives...
The Woodman family’s lifelong love of Italy began in 1951 with Betty’s yearlong apprenticeship in Fiesole. After marrying in 1953, Betty and George took their young children, Charles and Francesca, for extended stays in 1959-60 and again in 1965-66.