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Herb Ritts Work At Kemper Museum Of Contemporary Art KANSAS CITY -- Herb Ritts Work, the first full-scale retrospective of this preeminent American photographer, will be on view at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri, from November 5, 1999 to January 28, 2000. The exhibition features more than two hundred of Ritts's photographs, ranging in size from intimate portraits to ten-foot murals, that highlight the diversity of the artist's work. The breadth of photographs includes effervescent celebrity shots, eternal images of Africa and its peoples, seductive layouts from the world of fashion, and pure, sensuous studies of the human form, including many images of the nude human body. No matter what the subject, Ritts's masterful black-and-white photographs carry the stamp of classic simplicity. The Kemper Museum opens its exhibition of Herb Ritts Work with a reception with the artist, Friday, November 5, at 5:30-7:30 p.m., which is free and open to the public. A series of free educational programs accompanies the exhibition.
Celebrities Ritts's celebrity work evokes the optimism and glamour of Southern California with intimate, yet play- ful shots such as the Jack Nicholson Joker series. He also presents some subjects in terms of their trade- mark feature, as depicted by comedian Sandra Bernhard's open mouth or Elizabeth Taylor's unmistak able eyes and diamond. Ritts's subjects range from famous Julia Roberts to infamous Dennis Rodman, supermodel Christy Turlington to superstar Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and musical Dizzy Gillespie to muscular Mike Tyson. Fashion The fashion world has embraced Ritts since the late 1970s He has created memorable shots in all the top fashion magazincs and his corporate clients include Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, The GAP, Giorgio Armani, and Versace. His continuous use of bold and dramatic forms is apparent in Versace Dress Backview and Versace Veiled Dress, included in the exhibition. Ritts often challenges conventional notions of gender and stereotypes in his fashion photography, and he creates celebrity shots that capture a mythical, yet intimate presence. Through Ritts's diverse achievements, he has established a signature approach to his work by continuously documenting the ongoing waves of public images and personalities in clean, pure lines and simple forms. Studies of the Human Figure The exhibition also features Ritts's celebration of the human body as strong, sensuous, and beautiful. He takes pleasure in evoking the tactile appeal of surface textures, showing the body flecked with grains of sand, veiled in sheer fabric, caked with drying mud, or exposed to cascading water. Ritts's range of nudes includes dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones, as well as "Duo," a sequence of studies of a gay couple, one a former Mr. Universe. Africa Another side of Ritts's work is his stunning photography from Africa. Traveling to East Africa in 1993, he savored a working situation unconnected to fashion or fame. His photographs of the Maasai people, animals, and the landscape they inhabit create a timeless world of vast spaces and ancient ways. Exhibition Organization Herb Ritts Work was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it was on view October 1996 through February 1997. It was then shown at the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale [Florida] February- May 1999, before coming to the Kemper Museum. Exhibition Catalogue Herb Ritts, a Bullfinch Press Book, l 996, features a preface by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Director Malcolm Rogers and sponsor Donna Karan, and essays by Richard Martin, Steven Meisel, and Ingrid Sischy. The catalogue consists of 416 pages, with 242 black-and-white photographs, including many images that have never been published. The 11 1/4 x 14-inch catalogue is available for $125 in cloth at the Kemper Museum Shop and in major bookstores nationwide. Kemper Museum Sponsors The Kemper Museum gratefully acknowledges Bank of America as the generous sponsor of the 1999 Artists-in-Residence program. The 1999 exhibition schedule is sponsored by The Kansas City Star, American Century Investments, and Kansas City Magazine. Financial assistance for Projects Series exhibitions is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, as well as by vital corporate, foundation, and individual contributions. Boulevard Brewing Company provides beverages for 1999 opening receptions. Kemper Museum Information Located one block east of 45th and Main in Kansas City, Missouri, the Kemper Museum is free of charge to the public. Museum hours are Tues-Thurs, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Fri. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sun, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Cafe Sebastienne is open Tues-Sun, 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. for lunch and Fri 6-9 p.m. for dinner. The Museum is closed Monday. Show At Kemper Museumt Work Wall Text Studio |
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