The Fallen Angel, The Art of Francesca Woodman at Guggenheim, NY

VAGA#3 A romantic revolt

These selection of Francesca Woodman works displayed at the Guggenheim were originally printed on VAGA’s 3rd issue. In collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum NY

Francesca Woodman was an American photographer who investigated female subjectivity, identity and performance using blurred, half hidden self-portraiture. With herself often the subject, her ghostly and narrative black and white photographs offer an insight into her unconscious and performative self. Woodman played with a camera’s exposure time and incorporated decrepit locations, using antique props such as mirrors, couches, and wallpaper as her backdrop, thus lending the human form evanescence by presenting mysterious old-fashioned photographic stories. Born into a family of artists in 1958, she began producing self- portraits by the time she was thirteen years old. She studied both abroad in Rome and at RISD before moving to New York where she continued her experimentation with photography, drawing from Surrealist motifs and gothic fiction. In 1981, when only twenty-two, she committed suicide after a long struggle with depression. Woodman is considered one of the most gifted and elusive young artists of our time.

-text by Walker Brockington

Francesca Woodman Art
Francesca Woodman Guggenheim New York

Polka Dots
Francesca Woodman Art, 1976 Providence, Rhode Island Gelatin silver print, 13.3 x 13.3 cm
Courtesy George and Betty Woodman

Francesca Woodman Guggenheim New York
Francesca Woodman Guggenheim New York

Self-portrait talking to Vince, Francesca Woodman, 1975—78 Providence, Rhode Island Gelatin silver print, 13 x 12.9 cm
Courtesy George and Betty Woodman

Francesca Woodman Art Photography
Francesca Woodman Guggenheim New York

House #4
Francesca Woodman, 1976 Providence, Rhode Island, Gelatin silver print, 14.6 x 14.6 cm
Courtesy George and Betty Woodman