Kurt Fishback
51 Portraits of Women Artists
June 5 - July 18, 2015
Opening Reception: Friday, June 5th 6-9pm
Kurt Fishback, Ruth Bernhard
Transmission Gallery is pleased to present “51 Portraits of Women Artists”, a new photography series by Kurt Fishback.
In 1979, Kurt embarked on a body of work that he has continued through today… portraits of artists. It spawned from the desire to share artists with the public and it escalated into a prolific and resounding series. Kurt has had the pleasure of being reared and influenced in the company of many of the greatest American artists of our time (Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Wynne Bullock among others). And his portraits have offered a glimpse of their realness that also brings to us and encapsulates in one photograph an understanding of their work. “I see all sides of the story and choose not to take sides and see all visual expression as valuable if made with eyes wide open.” – Kurt Fishback.
Kurt’s new series within this larger body of work was inspired by the glaring disparity between the representation and validity of men and women artists. The vast majority of famous and well-respected artists were men when there’s an equal amount of tremendous work pouring from the hands of women. He realized he was part of the way things were. And now, through this body of work, wants to create a sense of balance.
The show at Transmission Gallery will consist of vintage portraits of important female artists from early on in his project juxtaposed with his growing series of portraits of contemporary female artists in the bay area.
Always working in black and white as it is “the best way to see light”, Kurt encounters every portrait through the process of collaboration. It’s this partnership and respect that travels through his lens and is responsible for the success in portraying the deep and layered narrative of each of these artists’ stories.
Kurt received his MFA from University of California, Davis and his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute while also including graduate work at Cornell University. Since the early 70s he has been a teacher of photography at The Glen Fishback School of Photography, Weber State University and UC Davis among others. He has had multiple museum solo shows and his work is in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Crocker Art Museum; Denver Museum of Art; The International Center for Photography, NY; Cooper Hewitt Museum of Art, NY among others.
In addition to the works for sale, Kurt is available for commissioned portraits. A catalogue of this exhibition with a forward by Nancy Servis will be available for sale.
In 1979, Kurt embarked on a body of work that he has continued through today… portraits of artists. It spawned from the desire to share artists with the public and it escalated into a prolific and resounding series. Kurt has had the pleasure of being reared and influenced in the company of many of the greatest American artists of our time (Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Wynne Bullock among others). And his portraits have offered a glimpse of their realness that also brings to us and encapsulates in one photograph an understanding of their work. “I see all sides of the story and choose not to take sides and see all visual expression as valuable if made with eyes wide open.” – Kurt Fishback.
Kurt’s new series within this larger body of work was inspired by the glaring disparity between the representation and validity of men and women artists. The vast majority of famous and well-respected artists were men when there’s an equal amount of tremendous work pouring from the hands of women. He realized he was part of the way things were. And now, through this body of work, wants to create a sense of balance.
The show at Transmission Gallery will consist of vintage portraits of important female artists from early on in his project juxtaposed with his growing series of portraits of contemporary female artists in the bay area.
Always working in black and white as it is “the best way to see light”, Kurt encounters every portrait through the process of collaboration. It’s this partnership and respect that travels through his lens and is responsible for the success in portraying the deep and layered narrative of each of these artists’ stories.
Kurt received his MFA from University of California, Davis and his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute while also including graduate work at Cornell University. Since the early 70s he has been a teacher of photography at The Glen Fishback School of Photography, Weber State University and UC Davis among others. He has had multiple museum solo shows and his work is in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Crocker Art Museum; Denver Museum of Art; The International Center for Photography, NY; Cooper Hewitt Museum of Art, NY among others.
In addition to the works for sale, Kurt is available for commissioned portraits. A catalogue of this exhibition with a forward by Nancy Servis will be available for sale.
