Weinstein Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition devoted to fashion images by leading women photographers, the first exhibition of its kind in the United States.

THE FASHION SHOW

OPENS NOVEMBER 7, 2014

OPENING RECEPTION
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 6:00PM - 8:00PM

First and foremost, fashion photography is a means by which clothing and accessories are presented to promote commerce. In a larger sense, the photographs act as documents of varying and evolving moments throughout history, examples of changing fashion trends, artistic preferences, and cultural customs. 

During the 20th and 21st centuries, male photographers have received much of the notoriety and accolades for their contributions to fashion photography, while women's crucial role has often been overlooked or underappreciated. This exhibition, which is long overdue, proudly presents over 40 images by leading female fashion photographers, including Lillian Bassman, Olivia Bee, Cass Bird, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Toni Frissell, Ina Jang, Frances McLaughlin-Gill, Sheila Metzner, Sarah Moon, Genevieve Naylor, Deborah Turbeville, and Ellen Von Unwerth. 

The commonality amongst this group of 12 photographers, even though their work spans nine decades, is that each has a strong and unique photographic voice. Louise Dahl-Wolfe, who shot for Harper's Bazaar in the 1930s, pioneered a new style of photographing her models in motion, which subsequently influenced photographers like Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. Lillian Bassman's sought after images presented soft-edged portraits of slender and elegant long-necked models. Her lingerie ads from the 1950s are particularly noteworthy in that her corseted models had a softer, more natural sexuality, which differed tremendously from the clinical way in which they had been presented previously. Deborah Turbeville revolutionized fashion photography in the 1970s by turning the conventions from vividly-lit clothing towards something more brooding, edgy, and unsettling. Since the 1970s, Sarah Moon has produced dreamlike, almost melancholy images that have influenced countless contemporary photographers. The images of Cass Bird, who has been photographing since the 2000s, are instantly recognizable by their youthful and carefree spirit. Olivia Bee, the youngest photographer represented at 20 years old, has shot her friends in a dreamy, 1970s inspired style for Harper's Bazaar, Numero, Levis, Hermes, and the New York Times.