Catherine Opie Portraits LACMA Staff in New Geffen Galleries
Catherine Opie created a series of portraits of LACMA staff in the new David Geffen Galleries before their opening earlier this year. The photographs, a gift to the museum, feature employees against deep blue walls of the Peter Zumthor–designed building. Opie drew inspiration from Irving Penn's corner portraits, capturing subjects between compressed walls. She emphasized a collaborative, natural approach, asking sitters not to smile and to take deep breaths. The series honors the people behind the institution, with the empty galleries highlighting anticipation.
Key facts
- Catherine Opie photographed LACMA staff in the David Geffen Galleries before opening.
- The series was conceived as a gift to the museum.
- Backdrop: deep blue walls custom-tinted for the Peter Zumthor–designed building.
- Opie was inspired by Irving Penn's corner photographs.
- She told staff: 'You are all cornerstones to the museum for what you do here.'
- Opie encouraged natural poses and told subjects not to smile.
- The portraits capture a moment of anticipation for the museum's future.
- The building's galleries had no artwork installed during the sessions.
Entities
Artists
- Catherine Opie
- Irving Penn
- Marcel Duchamp
- Duke Ellington
- Georgia O'Keeffe
Institutions
- LACMA
- David Geffen Galleries
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States