Jacolby Satterwhite, Reifying Desire 6, 2014. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Purchase, with funds from the Film, Video, and New Media Committee copyright Jacolby Slatterwhite
Portraiture in art started as a medium that belonged to the upper echelons of the social structure. Once strongly associated with prestige and money, the portrait was also a sign of self-love with a good dose of healthy narcissism. The arrival of photography and its continuous technological evolution has helped democratise portraiture. However, the levels of vanity in society have all but decreased, especially since the popularisation of the all holy selfie.
A new exhibition at The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York explores to what extent selfies have influenced portraitures and draws from the museum’s permanent collection featuring more than 300 works made from 1900 to 2016 by 200 artists. Spread over two floors, the display of paintings, photographs, and drawings confirms our obsession with the images of other humans–whether picture perfect or rough around the edges. The works on show can be grotesque, funny, sexual, cute-strange, and disturbing, satisfying visitors’ voyeuristic hankering while exemplifying how artists have adapted to new ways of thought and technology to shift their gaze.
Split into 11 themed sections including “Street Life”, “Price of Fame”, “Making Faces” and “Portraits Without People”, the exhibition features celebrated and titanic works such as Alex Katz’ “Place” (1977), and more surprising works such as Stewart Uoo’s “No Sex, No City: Miranda” (2013) and Jacolby Satterwhite’s “Reifying Desire 6” (2014).
Andy Warhol (1928-1987), Ethel Scull 36 Times, 1963. Acrylic and screenprint on canvas, 80 × 144 in. (203.2 × 365.8 cm). Jointly owned by the Whitney Museum of American Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art; gift of Ethel Redner Scull 86.61a-jj copyright 2016 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc./ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Rachel Harrison (1966–), Untitled, 2012. Colored pencil on paper. 19 × 24 in. (48.3 × 61 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Drawing Committee. 2012.81 copyright Rachel Harrison Courtesy the artist and Greene Naftali, New York
Karen Kilimnik (b. 1955), CK, 1993. Wax crayon and acrylic, 35 1/8 × 22 7/16 in. (89.2 × 57 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of The Bohen Foundation 95.31 copyright Karen Kilimnik
“Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection” is at the Whitney Museum, New York, until 12 February 2017