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The Serial Portrait: Photography and Identity in the Last One Hundred Years

September 30 – December 31, 2012
West Building, Ground Floor, Inner Tier Galleries

Ilse Bing, Self-Portrait with Leica, 1931, gelatin silver print, 1985, Gift of Ilse Bing Wolff, 2001.147.10

This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.

Overview: Since the introduction of photography in 1839, portraiture has been one of the most widely practiced forms of the medium. Starting in the early 20th century, however, some photographers began to question whether a single image could adequately capture the complexity of an individual. Arranged both chronologically and thematically, the exhibition features 153 works by 20 artists who photographed the same subjects--primarily friends, family, and themselves–over the course of days, months, or years to create some of the most provocative and revealing portraits of the past 100 years.

Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Sponsor: The exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Trellis Fund.

Attendance: 64,540

Catalog: The Serial Portrait: Photography and Identity in the Last One Hundred Years by Ksenya Gurshtein. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2012.

Brochure: The Serial Portrait: Photography and Identity in the Last One Hundred Years by Ksenya Gurshtein. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2012.

Bing, Ilse
American, 1899 - 1998

View Related Collection Information: Photographs

Press Event: The Serial Portrait: Photography and Identity in the Last One Hundred Years
Audio, Released: July 1, 2013, (38:53 minutes)
The Serial Portrait: Photography and Identity in the Last One Hundred Years
Audio, Released: October 9, 2012, (47:16 minutes)
Press Event: The Serial Portrait
Audio, Released: September 25, 2012, (38:54 minutes)