The Female Gaze: How Women Artists Look At Men
"Would we react differently to these works if they were made by men?" That's the question a group of women artists, ranging from luminaries like Diane Arbus and Louise Bourgeois to contemporaries like Cindy Sherman and Celia Hempton, came together to explore in an exhibition of their images of women back in 2009. Now, many of them have regrouped for a second, more provocative version: "The Female Gaze, Part Two: Women Look At Men," opening on Thursday at Chelsea's Cheim & Read gallery. The exhibition shows exactly what its title suggests, and does not exactly scrimp on the phalluses. Spanning both generations and approaches, many of the works, though, are purely observational: Take Berenice Abbott's chaste 20's photographs, or Hempton's graphic but loving oil paintings. Others, like plaster and bronze-cast dismembered members, are more objectifying—without the centuries-long, systematic history, of course. Gaze inside, here.
Berenice Abbott, "Cocteau in Bed with Mask," Paris, 1927. Gelatin silver print. Photo courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Alice Neel, "DAVID SOKOLA," 1973. Oil on canvas. Photo © The Estate of Alice Neel, courtesy of David Zwirner, New York/London.
Louise Bourgeois, "MALE FIGURE," 2009. Gouache and colored pencil on paper. Photo © The Easton Foundation, licensed by VAGA. Courtesy of Cheim & Read, New York.
Cindy Sherman, "UNTITLED," 1999. Gelatin silver print. Photo courtesy of Metro Pictures.
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, "THE JUSTIFYING DOCTOR'S NOTE," 2010. Oil on canvas. Photo courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Nicole Wittenberg, "RED HANDED, AGAIN," 2014. Oil on canvas.
Katy Grannan, "ANONYMOUS, MODESTO, CA," 2014. Archival pigment print on cotton rag paper mounted to plexiglass. Photo courtesy of the artist and Salon 94, New York.
Marlene Dumas, "MORNING GLORY," 1998-2001. Oil on canvas. Photo courtesy of Tilton Gallery, New York.
Kathe Burkhart, "WHORE: FROM THE LIZ TAYLOR SERIES (THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN)," 2013. Acrylic, fabric, composition leaf, condom, fake pearls and gems, decorative papers and digital prints on canvas.
Diane Arbus, "Jack Dracula, the Marked Man, N.Y.C.," 1961. Vintage gelatin silver print. Photo courtesy of the estate of Diane Arbus LLC.
Diane Arbus, "Young couple on a bench in Washington Square Park, N.Y.C.," 1965. Gelatin silver print. Photo courtesy of the estate of Diane Arbus LLC.
Sarah Lucas, "WHITE NOB," 2013. Plaster. Photo courtesy of Gladstone Gallery, New York.
Joan Semmel, "DAVID," 1982. Oil on canvas. Photo courtesy of Alexander Gray Associates, LLC.
Dana Schutz, "FRANK AS A PROBOSCIS MONKEY," 2002. Oil on canvas. Photo courtesy of Petzel Gallery, New York.
Diane Arbus, "Jack Dracula, the Marked Man, N.Y.C.," 1961. Vintage gelatin silver print. Photo courtesy of the estate of Diane Arbus LLC.
Catherine Murphy, "PROFILE – HARRY ROSEMAN," 1994. Oil on canvas. Photo courtesy of Peter Freeman, Inc.
Celia Hempton, "BEN," 2016. Oil on polyester. Photo courtesy Galerie Sultana, Paris.
Celia Hempton, "BEN," 2016. Oil on polyester. Photo courtesy Galerie Sultana, Paris.
Lynda Benglis, "SMILE," 1974. Cast bronze. Photo courtesy of Cheim & Reid, New York.
Cecily Brown, "RASPBERRY BERET," 2015-16. Oil and pastel on linen. Photo courtesy of the artist and Maccarone New York/Los Angeles.