Francesca Woodman's Fashion Photography Exhibition at Marian Goodman Gallery in 2015

Marian Goodman Gallery in New York City presented 'I'm trying my hand at fashion photography,' an exhibition of Francesca Woodman's work from February 12 to March 12, 2015. The show featured approximately 30 vintage prints, including some previously unseen, focusing on her New York period between 1978 and 1980. Woodman's handwritten title inscription in red ink appeared on the opening photograph, which depicted her wearing a textured white dress with hands over her eyes against a quilted backdrop. Her understanding of spatial relationships elevated seemingly simple compositions, as seen in a monochrome image where she stands parallel to a hanging skinned fox with carefully aligned objects. A rare color series shot in pastel rooms showed a more polished Woodman in a green knit dress, adding color to her compositional repertoire. Less convincing were works that emulated photographers like Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin, where her style mixed hesitantly with their male-gaze-oriented approaches. Woodman often served as both subject and photographer, controlling the gaze in a distinctly female manner similar to Cindy Sherman. The exhibition revealed that most subjects were clothed, a detail that underscored how her work transcended conventional expectations.