Overview
Diane Arbus, Lisette Model and Christer Strömholm belong to a generation of photographers who went out into society and used their cameras as tools for artistic exploration. The exhibition will show a selection of work by each of the three photographers with portraits as the common denominator. In the case of Diane Arbus focus will be on her photographs from the sixties that were included in the first book devoted to her work published by Aperture in 1972. With Lisette Model emphasis will be on her work in America from the 1940s onwards. Christer Strömholm will primarily be represented by pictures from Paris taken during the 1960s but we are also including a selection of photos from his trips to the USA. In their choice of subjects the three photographers show that they have related interests as is also apparent in the way that they worked. From a Swedish point of view it is an interesting experiment to place Christer Strömholm in an international context with two American women photographers. This will enable us to view his work and Swedish history of photography in a new and different light.
Synopsis
This catalogue from an exhibition at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm unites three modern photographic masters who worked in black-and-white and found their subjects in the characters of the urban street: Diane Arbus, Lisette Model and Christer Stramholm. Portraits take precedence here. Arbus and Model ventured into New York to find their gallery of faces, while Stramholm wandered through Paris. No matter where they went, their eyes were finely tuned to the variety of human emotion and experience passing on the sidewalks. Arbus's photographs here are drawn from the 1960s, particularly those which were included in the first book devoted to her work published by Aperture in 1972. With Model emphasis is on her work in America from the 1940s onwards. Stramholm is primarily represented by pictures from Paris taken during the 1960s, when he made his famous portraits of transvestites at the Place Blanche, but also included is a selection of photos from his trips to the United States.