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Exhibition

Francesca Woodman

November 5, 2011–June 13, 2012

Francesca Woodman (1958-1981) was an artist decisively of her time, yet her photographs retain an undeniable immediacy. Thirty years after her death, they continue to inspire audiences with their dazzling ambiguities and their remarkably rich explorations of self-portraiture and the body in architectural space. This retrospective, the first in the United States in more than two decades, explores the complex body of work produced by the young artist until her suicide at age 22. Together with Woodman’s artist books and videos, the photographs on view form a portrait of an artist engaged with major concerns of her era — femininity and female subjectivity, the nature of photography — but devoted to a distinctive, deeply personal vision.

Woodman; photo of woman in polka dot dress leaning against decrepit wall
Francesca Woodman, photo of young woman with chain in mouth
Francesca Woodman, image of woman in dress with arms up
Francesca Woodman, nude self portrait

Francesca Woodman, Polka Dots, Providence, Rhode Island, 1976; courtesy George and Betty Woodman; © George and Betty Woodman

Francesca Woodman, Self-portrait talking to Vince, Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78; courtesy George and Betty Woodman; © George and Betty Woodman

Francesca Woodman, Caryatid, New York, 1980; courtesy George and Betty Woodman; © George and Betty Woodman

Francesca Woodman, Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island, ca. 1976; collection of Susan Turner and Scott Purdin; © George and Betty Woodman