Past Exhibition

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

The image shows the upper body of a person holding a camera and capturing their reflection in a mirror. The person has sharp eyes, dark, straight medium-length hair, and is wearing a dark sweater with a circular patch on the shoulder. The background consists of a plain wall, a piece of fabric to the right, and another mirror on the left reflecting the person with the camera. There is a reflective surface below and blurred objects at the bottom right corner, suggesting an indoor setting.
Ilse Bing, Self-Portrait with Leica, 1931, printed 1985, gelatin silver print, Gift of Ilse Bing Wolff, 2001.147.10

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    West Building, Ground Floor, Inner Tier Galleries
The image shows the upper body of a person holding a camera and capturing their reflection in a mirror. The person has sharp eyes, dark, straight medium-length hair, and is wearing a dark sweater with a circular patch on the shoulder. The background consists of a plain wall, a piece of fabric to the right, and another mirror on the left reflecting the person with the camera. There is a reflective surface below and blurred objects at the bottom right corner, suggesting an indoor setting.
Ilse Bing, Self-Portrait with Leica, 1931, printed 1985, gelatin silver print, Gift of Ilse Bing Wolff, 2001.147.10

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.

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