Betty Woodman and George Woodman

Throughout her career, Betty Woodman embraced the possibilities that different kilns and firing techniques offered, adapting her approach to the materials available in the diverse places where she lived and worked.

Happy 71st anniversary to Betty Woodman and George Woodman, who were married on this day in 1953.

As the solstice today marks the official beginning of summer, we are reminded of the Woodmans’ extensive travels around the world and their months immersed in global artistic influences.

Around 1952, a young George Woodman in Cambridge, Massachusetts, penned his devotion on a USPS customs form: “Little box with littler box inside” and “1 engagement ring of Navajo silver with turquoises.” The precious 4-ounce package was destined for the hands of Elizabeth Abrahams (later to be known as Betty Woodman) across the ocean in Fiesole, Italy, where she had been living and working for the past year.

Catch a glimpse of Betty and George Woodman's Italian studios and home and hear them speak about the importance of Italy to their work in this exhibition video, assembled from interviews in the Woodman Family Foundation archives.

Video vignettes by Charleston that highlight artworks by Betty Woodman and George Woodman included in the exhibition Betty Woodman and George Woodman. On view through September 10, 2023.

Read Ajesh Patalay's preview of "Betty Woodman and George Woodman" on view now through September 10, 2023 at Charleston, East Sussex, UK.

Last chance to see this unique exhibition, the first two-person presentation of Betty Woodman’s and George Woodman’s work in the UK. Focused on the couple's prolific time at their farmhouse in Antella, Italy—where they lived and worked for part of each year for nearly fifty years—the exhibition explores the artists’ mutual influences and their shared life immersed in art, culture, travel and experimentation, reflected in kindred palettes and patterns. Catch a glimpse of their Italian studios and home and hear them speak about the importance of Italy to their work in this exhibition video, assembled from interviews in the Woodman Family Foundation archives.

Read Halima Jibril's piece on "Betty Woodman and George Woodman." On view now through September 10, 2023 at Charleston, East Sussex, UK.

Read Jelena Sofronijevic's feature on Betty Woodman and George Woodman. On view now through September 10, 2023 at Charleston, East Sussex, UK.

Fragmented frescos glimpsed in Italian churches and Roman ruins, geometry noticed in Cosmati floor mosaics, and patterns seen on tile walls in Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Mexico and Portugal provided decades-worth of ideas for both artists, realized on the floor and on the wall.

Lissa McClure, the Foundation's Executive Director, and Emily Hill, Acting Head of Exhibitions at Charleston, talk about the exhibition "Betty Woodman and George Woodman" on "In Talks With" podcast with journalist Danielle Radojcin.