Double Portraits

In conjunction with the special exhibition Arnold Newman: Masterclass, the Museum presents an intervention in the Permanent Collection galleries, entitled Double Portraits. This spotlight exhibition features the work of Jess T. Dugan, Goshka Macuga, Dulce Pinzón, Kurt Simonson, and Jaimie Warren and situates contemporary photography within the Museum’s paintings from the sixteenth through early twentieth centuries. Looking specifically at elements such as light, gesture, and pose, the juxtaposition of works from such different time periods illustrates certain visual tropes and archetypes in Western portraiture that have remained vital and consistent in representations of the figure across time periods. Conceptually, these contemporary photographs relate to the strategy of the late Arnold Newman. Just as Newman used homage to construct symbolic portraits, the five featured photographers in this intervention have created work that explores the potential of creating portraits with intimacy, parody, and pastiche. Their photographs each utilize strategies for presenting multiple identities, viewpoints, and authors within a single work.

Double Portraits debuts in conjunction with the opening of the Summer Break 2013 festival on August 1 and continues in conjunction with the special exhibition Arnold Newman: Masterclass through September 8.