Marcia Resnick: As It Is or Could Be
Marcia Resnick (American, b. 1950), She became an expert shoplifter, 1978, from Re-Visions. Gelatin silver print inscribed with graphite. The Michael G. and C. Jane Wilson 2007 Trust. © Marcia Resnick
Marcia Resnick (American, b. 1950). They were continually telling her that she had stars in her eyes, 1978.
From Re-Visions. Gelatin silver print inscribed with graphite. The J. Paul Getty Museum. © Marcia Resnick
Marcia Resnick (American, b. 1950). Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1979. Gelatin silver print. Bowdoin College
Museum of Art. © Marcia Resnick
Photographer Marcia Resnick earned recognition as part of the legendary Downtown New York art scene of the 1970s and 1980s with portraits of major cultural figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, John Belushi, and Susan Sontag.
Marcia Resnick was one of the most ambitious and innovative American photographers of the 1970s. Combining social critique with poignant, often humorous performance, her photographs explore—in a conceptual vernacular—aesthetic, social, and political issues at once timely and timeless. A part of the now-mythic creative community in Downtown New York, she created work that challenged traditional ideas about what a photograph could be. This exhibition brings together for the first time her extraordinary photographs from this period.
This exhibition was organized by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the George Eastman Museum.
Generously supported by the Rubens Family Foundation.
Exhibition Catalogue
Photographer Marcia Resnick (b. 1950) earned recognition as part of the legendary Downtown New York art scene of the 1970s and 1980s. Her portraits of the era’s major cultural figures, such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, John Belushi, and Susan Sontag, have contributed to the scene’s mythic status. Against this backdrop, Resnick also produced a significant body of work that engaged with the history of art, took a humorous approach to conceptual art and feminism, and proposed new ideas for what photography could be.
Virtual 360 Tour
Explore Marcia Resnick: As It Is or Could Be virtually, complete with all audio, text, and full-size images as copy right allows.
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Virtual Program
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Special Events, Member Events | Exhibition Celebration: Marcia Resnick: As It Is or Could Be
Free To All, Talks | Virtual Program "Ahead of her Time: Marcia Resnick and the Art World"
