Speaking of photography…and speaking of photography focussed on the body, somebody at the Philadelphia Museum of Art had fun with this one — a photo show featuring work in which the heads are cut off (or veiled or somehow obscured). Actually, Photography Curator Kate Ware’s new show, “The Faceless Figure” — which goes back in time to 1870 for a snapshot by French amateur photographer Felix Bonfils and marches forward with 60 works by Edward Weston, Burk Uzzle, Minor White, Sebastiao Salgado, Sol Mednick, Lee Friedlander and others, could be the funny, odd reverberant photo show to see this winter. (image top is Friedlander’s “New York” 1966, an example of the artist working in this genre)
Pair it with that other head-less experience at the PMA right now, the Schiaparelli show. Never have so many maniquins gone headless in the service of fashion and art. (image is Schiaparelli’s Lobster Dress, on view in “Shocking” until Jan. 4)
“The Faceless Figure” may be quite an uplift for amateur photographers — proving that what we do naturally may have value in the long run.
Show opens Dec. 20 in the Julian Levy Gallery, first floor. Ask for directions.
