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David LevinthalLarge Format Polaroid Photograph Color Photo David Levinthal Black Americana Art1997
1997
$12,500
£9,445.84
€10,907.63
CA$17,466.86
A$19,380.96
CHF 10,152.16
MX$237,662.55
NOK 129,132
SEK 121,895.10
DKK 81,345
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About the Item
David Levinthal
Title: Untitled
Edition: 2/5
Hand signed, numbered and dated in ink on recto Date: 1997
Original Polaroid Large Format Print (Photo-Internal dye diffusion transfer)
Location: Cambridge Massachusetts United States
Dimensions: Image: 28 X 22 in. Framed: 36 X 30 inches
This depicts a still life of African American Blackface iron toys from his provocative, controversial photo series.
This body of work is drawn from David Levinthal’s project Blackface, dating from 1995-1998, it featured blackface Polaroids of his original memorabilia, drawn from the artist’s African American Americana personal collection, that are the Polaroid’s subject matter. Levinthal’s collection of black memorabilia evolved into Blackface, a stimulating and controversial body of work. The title, according to Levinthal, “makes reference to the many facades, poise and physicality of these figures.” The title is also taken from the name of a journal of a black film-making company and is a term referring to both blacks and whites. Traditionally associated with minstrel, these images were used to perpetuate negative stereotypes. Levinthal’s work was originally intended to be exhibited at Philadelphia’s ICA in 1997. However, the show was cancelled when it became a cause célèbre as a result of its controversial subject-matter. Subsequently, images from the series were exhibited at the International Center of Photography and at Janet Borden, Inc. in New York.
Levinthal’s initial inspiration for Blackface was D.W.Griffith’s 1915 film “Birth of a Nation,” a groundbreaking film of its time and a watershed moment in the cultural wars. It’s extreme and racist depictions of African Americans fueled a debate over the efficacy and motivation of using racially charged images that continues to reverberate in our culture today. Levinthal’s Blackface was originally intended to be a series based on “Birth of a Nation,” but the focus of the work shifted to the inscription of racially charged identities – what these collectibles convey, how they function within society, and how they continue to polarize social attitudes – within material objects produced and packaged as consumer goods.
Levinthal works using a 20 x 24 inch Polaroid Polacolor ER Land Film which results in a large format Polaroid. The objects are set against a black background, isolated and devoid of narrative. Investigating the images closely, the textures and surfaces of cracked paint, shiny plastic and rusty metal come into relief, creating a three-dimensional tactile surface expressing a melancholic humanism. The artist did little editing with these images, recording the object in its pure form. The majority of works exhibited are portraits of objects – sometimes human like and often exaggerated – both alluring and grotesque. Levinthal’s Blackface portraits unfold a repressed history associated with the black stereotype. The compositions are focused, the gloss seductive, and the light hitting their surfaces exquisitely mannered. The work is in constant tension between its controversial subject matter and its sensuality.Levinthal was born in 1949 in San Francisco, California. He received a Scientiæ Magister in Management Science from the MIT Sloan School of Management (1981), an MFA in Photography from Yale University (1973), and a BA in Studio Art from Stanford University (1970). He was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 1995[2] and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1990–1991.
He has had retrospective exhibitions of his work at the International Center of Photography and the George Eastman Museum. Levinthal has produced a diverse oeuvre, utilizing primarily large-format Polaroid photography. His works touch upon many aspects of American culture, from Barbie to baseball to X-rated pornographic dolls. Levinthal's major series include Hitler Moves East (1972–1975), Modern Romance (1983–1985), Wild West (1986–1989), Desire (1991–1992), Blackface (1995–1998), Barbie (1997–1998), Baseball (1998–2004), and History (2010–2018).
His politically charged series, Blackface, consists of close-ups of black memorabilia, household objects infused with African-American stereotypes, and caused such a controversy that the Institute of Contemporary Art of Philadelphia was forced to cancel the exhibition while still in its early planning stages.
On his use of toys, Levinthal said that "Toys are intriguing, and I want to see what I can do with them. On a deeper level, they represent one way that society socializes its young. "Furthermore, Levinthal is aware of the power of toys: “Ever since I began working with toys, I have been intrigued with the idea that these seemingly benign objects could take on such incredible power and personality simply by the way they were photographed. I began to realize that by carefully selecting the depth of field and making it narrow, I could create a sense of movement and reality that was in fact not there.
- Creator:David Levinthal (1949, American)
- Creation Year:1997
- Dimensions:Height: 36 in (91.44 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:needs new frame. photo is well protected in frame.
- Gallery Location:Surfside, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU38211196282
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