L to R: Installation views, "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, 2021. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery. Photos by Alex Yudzon.
Installation view, "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories," Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, 2021. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery. Photo by Alex Yudzon.
NOW OPEN "Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories" at Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, November 2-December 23, 2021
This solo exhibition of vintage photographs by Francesca Woodman includes more than twenty previously unseen works and draws on the artist's writings about her practice in newly available archival material from the Foundation's holdings. The show presents thematic threads and groupings of images in relational contexts, offering a fresh perspective on Woodman's work.
L to R: Our archives intern Molly McBride Jacobson digs into unsorted family photographs from our archives, 2021.
Our archives intern Molly McBride Jacobson digs into unsorted family photographs from our archives, 2021.
Our archives intern Molly McBride Jacobson digs into unsorted family photographs from our archives: From the Archives...
The Woodman Family Foundation archives include boxes and boxes of family photographs, spanning the early days George and Betty spent in Albuquerque where they welcomed their son Charlie into the world; to their move to a modernist home in Boulder—the site of many birthday parties, pottery sales, impromptu installations of paintings and Francesca’s earliest experiments with “dress up;” until just a few years ago enjoying breakfast with their grandson Alexander in both New York and Antella.
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
Our Executive Director Lissa McClure was recently in conversation with Brainard Carey on Yale Radio about Francesca Woodman’s upcoming solo exhibition “Francesca Woodman: Alternate Stories” at Marian Goodman Gallery, New York. They spoke about the inclusion of never-before-seen photographs and Woodman's own writings about her work, her compositional and conceptual grounding, and this exciting opportunity to view the work through new lenses.
Betty Woodman. Installation view and details, "Alessandro’s Rooms," 2011. 102.5 x 354.5 x 15.75 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint, canvas.
Betty Woodman. "Alessandro’s Rooms," 2011. 102.5 x 354.5 x 15.75 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint, canvas.
Betty Woodman in "The Flames: The Age of Ceramics" at Musee d'Art Moderne de Paris, Paris, France, October 15, 2021-February 6, 2022
"The Flames" takes a transhistorical approach to ceramics to assert the critical relationship of clay to both art and humankind. The exhibition combines ancient objects dating back to the Neolithic with those made by contemporary artists—including Betty Woodman—and everything in between.
L to R: Entrance to the Woodman family’s farmhouse adorned with a Pillow Pitcher by Betty atop a wall of George’s “sgraffito,” 2017 / View of the olive groves from Betty’s studio, 2004 / Betty cutting well-tended roses growing against the wall next to her studio, 2008 / Betty making flower arrangements with roses, dahlias and gerbera daisies from her garden, 2006 / Betty putting fresh flowers in a group of her “Vase and Stand” works, 1984 / Betty, a young family friend, and Francesca, c. late 1960s / Table set for dinner, 2016, photo by Brigid McCaffrey / Generous bowls and baskets full of figs, plums, peaches, grapes, and tomatoes, 2016 / Betty, Charlie and Francesca cooking together, c. early 1970s / George at his studio door, 2006 / A view out from the same door, 2008 / Francesca and Betty holding their bunnies, c. 1968 / Charlie on his motorino, c. late 1960s / Betty and friend with Betty’s triptych “June in Italy” (2001), c. 2001 / George with his sculpture, c. early 1970s / he Woodman family’s patio with potted geraniums and the olive grove in view, c. 1990s / Morning glories climbing George’s “sgrafitto” wall, c. 1990s.
L to R: Entrance to the Woodman family’s farmhouse adorned with a Pillow Pitcher by Betty atop a wall of George’s “sgraffito,” 2017 / George with his sculpture, c. early 1970s / Betty, Charlie and Francesca cooking together, c. early 1970s / Betty cutting well-tended roses growing against the wall next to her studio, 2008.
AUGUST IN ANTELLA
Beginning in the summer of 1968, the Woodman Family spent every summer at their stone farmhouse in Antella, Italy, just outside of Florence. As children, Charlie and Francesca joined their parents and later visited on their own, soaking in Italian culture and influences. Betty and George made some of their most important artistic breakthroughs there—a place George once described as "an artist residency for two.” All summer long, their garden produced abundant food and flowers—the tomatoes were particularly good in August, happily shared with frequent visitors.
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.