Quantcast
Channel: Art Blart » Anthony Barboza “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 2

Exhibition: ‘Posing Beauty in African American Culture’ at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia

0
0

Exhibition dates: 26th April – 27th July 2014

 

An exhibition that questions the ways in which our contemporary understanding of beauty has been constructed and framed through the body and invites a deeper reading of beauty, its impact on mass culture and individuals and how the display of beauty affects the ways in which we see and interpret the world and ourselves. According to author and historian Barbara Summers: “Beauty is power. And the struggle to have the entire range of Black beauty recognized and respected is a serious one.”

If beauty is only skin deep, and colour deep, why the need to differentiate? Surely it doesn’t matter what colour your skin, beauty just is. You know it when you see it, regardless of colour. Not everything is about power; not everything is a site of contestation… to me, recognising true beauty is an acknowledgement of the light that shines from within, not something that is imposed from without. When you see true beauty, you know it instinctively. Intuitively. Enough of this posing – are you image or essence?

Marcus

.
Many thankx to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for allowing me to publish the photographs in the posting. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.

 

“That there are so few images of African-American women circulating in popular culture or in fine art is disturbing; the pathology behind it is dangerous … We got a sistah in the White House, and yet mediated culture excludes us, denies us, erases us. But in the face of refusal, I insist on making work that includes us as part of the greater whole,” said Carrie Mae Weems in a 2009 interview conducted by Dawoud Bey for BOMB Magazine.

 

 

Bruce Davidson. 'Body Builder on Venice Beach, California' 1964

 

Bruce Davidson
Body Builder on Venice Beach, California
1964
Gelatin silver print
8 1/4 x 12 1/4 in.
Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York

 

Leonard Freed. 'Harlem Fashion Show, Harlem' 1963

 

Leonard Freed
Harlem Fashion Show, Harlem
1963
Gelatin silver print
17 x 21 ¼ inches
Magnum Photos

 

Theodore Fonville Winans (American, 1911-1992) 'Dixie Belles, Central Louisiana' 1938

 

Theodore Fonville Winans (American, 1911-1992)
Dixie Belles, Central Louisiana
1938
Courtesy of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Bob Winans

 

Dave Heath. 'Washington Square, New York City' 1960

 

Dave Heath
Washington Square, New York City
1960
Silver gelatin print

 

Malick Sidibé. 'Regardez-moi!' 1962

 

Malick Sidibé
Regardez-moi!
1962
Gelatin silver print
50 x 60 cm – 19,5 x 23,5 inches
© Malick Sidibé

 

Anthony Barboza. 'Pat Evans' c. 1970s

 

Anthony Barboza
Pat Evans
c. 1970s
Digital print
24½ x 24 inches
Courtesy of the photographer

 

 

“Exploring contemporary understandings of beauty, Posing Beauty in African American Culture frames the notion of aesthetics, race, class, and gender within art, popular culture, and political contexts. The exhibition – and its companion, Identity Shifts – will be on view April 26 – July 27, 2014.

Posing Beauty in African American Culture examines the contested ways in which African and African American beauty has been represented in historical and contemporary contexts through a diverse range of media including photography, film, video, fashion, advertising, and other forms of popular culture such as music and the Internet. The exhibition explores contemporary understandings of beauty by framing the notion of aesthetics, race, class, and gender within art, popular culture, and political contexts. The exhibition is organized by the Department of Photography & Imaging at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, traveled by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions, and curated by Dr. Deborah Willis. The touring exhibition is made possible in part by the JP Morgan Chase Foundation. Additional support has been provided by grants from the Tisch School of the Arts Office of the Dean’s Faculty Development Fund, Visual Arts Initiative Award from the NYU Coordinating Council for Visual Arts, and NYU’s Advanced Media Studio. Drawn from public and private collections, Posing Beauty features approximately 85 works by artists such as Carrie Mae Weems, Charles “Teenie” Harris, Eve Arnold, Gary Winogrand, Sheila Pree Bright, Leonard Freed, Renee Cox, Anthony Barboza, Bruce Davidson, Mickalene Thomas, and Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe.

Posing Beauty is divided into three thematic sections. The first theme, Constructing a Pose, considers the interplay between the historical and the contemporary, between self-representation and imposed representation, and the relationship between subject and photographer. The second theme, Body and Image, questions the ways in which our contemporary understanding of beauty has been constructed and framed through the body. The last section, Modeling Beauty and Beauty Contests, invites a deeper reading of beauty, its impact on mass culture and individuals and how the display of beauty affects the ways in which we see and interpret the world and ourselves.

According to author and historian Barbara Summers: “Beauty is power. And the struggle to have the entire range of Black beauty recognized and respected is a serious one.””

Press release from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts website

 

Renee Cox. 'Baby Back', from the series 'American Family' 2001

 

Renee Cox
Baby Back,
from the series American Family
2001
Archival digital print
30 x 40 in.
Courtesy of the artist

 

Lauren Kelley. 'Pickin'' 2007

 

Lauren Kelley
Pickin’
2007
Color-coupler print
23 x 23⅛ inches
Courtesy of the photographer

 

Anthony Barboza. ''Marvelous' Marvin Hagler, boxer' 1981

 

Anthony Barboza
‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler, boxer
1981
Gelatin silver print

 

Jeffrey Henson Scales. 'Denzel Washington, Los Angeles' 1990s

 

Jeffrey Henson Scales
Denzel Washington, Los Angeles
1990s

 

Ken Ramsay. 'Susan Taylor, as Model' c. 1970s

 

Ken Ramsay
Susan Taylor, as Model
c. 1970s
Gelatin silver print
26.5 x 20 inches
Courtesy of the photographer

 

John W. Mosley. 'Atlantic City, Four Women' c. 1960s

 

John W. Mosley
Atlantic City, Four Women
c. 1960s
Gelatin silver print
20 x 16 inches
Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, Temple University

 

Edward Curtis. 'A Desert Queen' 1898 (printed 2009)

 

Edward Curtis
A Desert Queen
1898 (printed 2009)
Modern digital print
20 x 16 inches,
Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries

 

Huey-P-Newton-WEB

 

Stephen Shames
Huey P Newton holds a Bob Dylan album at home after he was released from jail
c. 1967
Photograph
© Stephen Shames

 

Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) was an African-American political and urban activist who, along with Bobby Seale, co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966. Newton had a long series of confrontations with law enforcement, including several convictions, while he participated in political activism. He continued to pursue an education, eventually earning a Ph.D. in Social Science. Newton spent time in prison for manslaughter and was involved in a shooting that killed a police officer, for which he was later acquitted. In 1989 he was shot and killed in Oakland, California by Tyrone “Double R” Robinson, a member of the Black Guerrilla Family. (Text from Wikipedia website)

 

Charles "Teenie" Harris. 'Mary Louise Harris on Mulford Street, Homewood, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania' c. 1930-1939

 

Charles “Teenie” Harris
Mary Louise Harris on Mulford Street, Homewood, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
c. 1930-1939
Gelatin silver print
20 x 16 cm
© 2004 Carnegie Museum of Art, Charles “Teenie” Harris Archive

 

Jeffrey Henson Scales. 'Young Man in Plaid, New York City' 1992

 

Jeffrey Henson Scales
Young Man in Plaid, New York City
1992
Digital print
44.5 x 44 inches
Courtesy of the photographer

 

 

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
200 N. Boulevard
Richmond, Virginia USA

Opening hours:
Sat – Wed: 10 am – 5 pm
Thu + Fri: 10 am – 9 pm

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts website

LIKE ART BLART ON FACEBOOK

Back to top


Filed under: American, american photographers, beauty, black and white photography, colour photography, digital photography, documentary photography, exhibition, existence, gallery website, light, memory, New York, photographic series, photography, portrait, quotation, reality, space, street photography, time Tagged: "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler, A Desert Queen, African American Culture, American Family, Anthony Barboza, Anthony Barboza "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler, Anthony Barboza Pat Evans, Atlantic City Four Women, Beauty Contests, black bodies, Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale, Body and Image, body builder, Body Builder on Venice Beach, Bruce Davidson, Bruce Davidson Body Builder on Venice Beach, Carrie Mae Weems, Central Louisianas, Charles "Teenie" Harris, Charles "Teenie" Harris Mary Louise Harris on Mulford Street, Constructing a Pose, Dave Heath, Dave Heath Washington Square, Denzel Washington, Dixie Belles Central Louisiana, Edward Curtis, Edward Curtis A Desert Queen, Harlem, Harlem Fashion Show, Huey P Newton holds a Bob Dylan album, Huey P Newton holds a Bob Dylan album at home after he was released from jail, Huey Percy Newton, Jeffrey Henson Scales, Jeffrey Henson Scales Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Henson Scales Young Man in Plaid, John W. Mosley, John W. Mosley Atlantic City, Ken Ramsay, Ken Ramsay Susan Taylor, Lauren Kelley, Lauren Kelley Pickin', Leonard Freed, Leonard Freed Harlem Fashion Show, Malick Sidibé, Malick Sidibé Regardez-moi, Marvin Hagler, Marvin Hagler boxer, Mary Louise Harris on Mulford Street, Modeling Beauty, Modeling Beauty and Beauty Contests, New York City, Pat Evans, Posing Beauty, Posing Beauty in African American Culture, Regardez-moi, Renee Cox, Renee Cox American Family, Renee Cox Baby Back, Stephen Shames, Stephen Shames Huey P Newton holds a Bob Dylan album, Susan Taylor, Susan Taylor as Model, the black body, Theodore Fonville Winan Dixie Belles, Theodore Fonville Winans, Venice Beach, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, VMFA, Young Man in Plaid

Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 2

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images