Page 22 - The MoMA/ Guggenheim issue of World of Art magazine (2003)
P. 22

THe GeTTY                                                              surreaLisT Muse











                                                                                LOS ANGeLeS
                                                                                The many faces of Lee Miller
                                                                                - model, muse, and artist - are
                                                                                explored in Surrealist Muse: Lee
                                                                                Miller, Roland Penrose, and Man
                                                                                Ray at the Getty from February
                                                                                25–June 15, 2003. The exhibition
                                                                                traces Miller’s colorful life and
                                                                                legacy from 1925 to 1945 through
                                                                                more than 100 photographs, and
                                                                                in selected paintings and mixed-
                                                                                media works. These objects
                                                                                document the impact of her
                                                                                talent and powerful personality
                                                                                on artists with whom she came
                                                                                into contact, and explore the
                                                                                influences of these collaborations
                                                                                on her creative life. The works on
                                                                                display are from the Getty’s
                                                                                permanent collection, the Lee
                                                                                Miller Archive, and the Roland
                                                                                Penrose Collection. They range
                                                                                from early pictures of Miller’s
                                                                                modeling career in New York,
                                                                                to Surrealist images showing
                                                                                her influence on Man Ray,
                                                                                Picasso, and Roland Penrose,
                                                                                to her astonishing World War ii
                                                                                photographs documenting the
                                                                                demise of Hitler and the Third
                                                                                Reich.
                                                                                Deborah Gribbon, director
                                                                                of the J. Paul Getty Museum,
                                 Man ray
                                 american                                       commented,  “it is difficult to
                                1890-1976                                       think of another woman who has
                                                                                had such a far-reaching impact
                Le Logis de l’Artiste (The Artist’s House)
                                  c. 1931                                       on a group of artists and their
                               oil on canvas                                    work. We see Miller’s image
                         lent by a. and r. Penrose                              and influence as interpreted by
                           © 2002 man ray trust                                 others, and then see the source
                       artists rights society (ars) ny
                               adagP, Paris                                     of that power in her own creative
                                                                                vision.  Miller’s legacy is all the
                                                                                more compelling because she
                                                                                made her presence felt at a time
                                                                                when women were still struggling
                                                                                for equal rights. She helped pave
                                                                                the way, leaving her indelible
                                                                                mark on a world soon to be
                                                                                altered by war.”

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