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

A fascinating exhibition is currently on view at the National Gallery of Art (West Building, Ground Floor), The Serial Portrait: Photography and Identity in the Last One Hundred Years, through December 31.

The exhibit features twenty artists who photographed the same subjects, mostly family members, friends, or lovers, over a period of days, months or years. As the wall text says, these portraits “capture changes both subtle and dramatic in appearance, demeanor and situation.”

Totally predictable for a show of this specific theme is the inclusion of Alfred Stieglitz’s gorgeous portraits of Georgia O’Keeffe, Harry Callahan’s classic images of Eleanor, Emmet Gowin series of Edith and Nicholas Nixon’s documentation of the Brown Sisters. As wonderful as these images are, it’s like seeing old friends. These photographic masters have been seen in exhibits and publications over the years. At the same time, The Serial Portrait has surprises. There is a charming series of Andre Kertesz portraits of his brother Jeno, chronically his sibling from playful youth to adulthood. I enjoyed the opportunity to revisit Ilse Bing’s and Francesca Woodman’s self-portraits. The exhibition culminates with some very contemporary photographers. In that realm, Nikki S. Lee’s “Project Series” is intriguing combination of portraiture, role-playing, and social commentary.

One can view the digital brochure for the exhibition on line at www.nga.gov/serial. Don’t be lazy! Go see the exhibition and experience, first hand, the pleasure of viewing the beauty of the prints and scale of the portraits.