francesca woodman polka dots, providence, rhode island, 1976 gelatin silver print, 13.3 x 13.3 cm) courtesy george and betty woodman © 2012 george and betty woodman

francesca woodman guggenheim museum, new york city, USA on show now until june 13th, 2012

the first notably comprehensive collection of photographer francesca woodman is on show at the guggenheim. organized by the san francisco museum of modern art, the retrospective includes more than 120 vintage photographs from the cut-short career of the american artist, over thirty years after her death. her especially subjective approach to this modern medium was marked with an affinity for self-portrature and exploration of the human form.

woodman was born in 1958 and began her photographic career at the age of 13. attending rhode island school of design in the 1970’s, she explored themes of female subjectivity and conceptualism, developing a body of work which solidified her relevance as an american photographer and videographer of the 1970s. after moving to new york in 1981, she worked in fashion imaging and on several great-scale personal projects. after a brief period in the city, she committed suicide at the age of 22.

the exhibition includes a her earliest student works, videos, two of her sketch books, and the conceptual drawings for her massive ‘temple’ project in 1980. six of the artist’s recently discovered short films are also displayed in the installation.

francesca woodman at the guggenheim, new york - 2 francesca woodman self-portrait talking to vince, providence, rhode island, 1975–78 gelatin silver print, 13 x 12.9 cm courtesy george and betty woodman © 2012 george and betty woodman

francesca woodman at the guggenheim, new york - 3 francesca woodman
 space2, providence, rhode island, 1976 
gelatin silver print, 13.7 x 13.3 cm
courtesy george and betty woodman © george and betty woodman

francesca woodman at the guggenheim, new york - 4 francesca woodman 
untitled, macdowell colony, peterborough, new hampshire, 1980
 gelatin silver print, 11.4 x 11.4 cm
 courtesy george and betty woodman © george and betty woodman

francesca woodman at the guggenheim, new york - 5 francesca woodman untitled (from the angels series), rome, 1977 gelatin silver print, 7.6 x 7.6 cm courtesy george and betty woodman © george and betty woodman

francesca woodman at the guggenheim, new york - 6 francesca woodman untitled, new york, 1979–80 gelatin silver print, 11.4 x 11.4 cm courtesy george and betty woodman 
 © 2012 george and betty woodman

 

francesca woodman at the guggenheim, new york - 7 francesca woodman house #4, providence, rhode island, 1976 gelatin silver print, 14.6 x 14.6 cm courtesy george and betty woodman © 2012 george and betty woodman

francesca woodman at the guggenheim, new york - 8 a still from selected video works, providence, rhode island, 1976-78 half-inch black-and-white open reel video transferred to dvd, with sound, 11 min., 34 sec courtesy george and betty woodman and marian goodman gallery, new york

francesca woodman at the guggenheim, new york - 9 francesca woodman caryatid, new york, 1980 diazotype, 227.3 x 92.1 cm courtesy george and betty woodman © 2012 george and betty woodman

francesca woodman at the guggenheim, new york - 10 installation view: francesca woodman, solomon r. guggenheim museum, march 16–june 13, 2012 photo: david heald © solomon r. guggenheim foundation

francesca woodman at the guggenheim, new york - 11 installation view: francesca woodman, solomon r. guggenheim museum, march 16–june 13, 2012 photo: david heald © solomon r. guggenheim foundation