RUTH THORNE - THOMSEN MESSENGERS MARCH 8th to APRIL 19th 2014 SCHMIDT/DEAN GALLERY PHILADELPHIA, PA
A EXCERPT FROM A REVIEW OF THE MESSENGERS IN THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1993
• The ``Messengers`` are images of the heads of statues that Thorne-Thomsen photographed in France and Italy. She rephotographed prints of the statues in the studio, blurring them by moving with the camera while she shot. The resulting metamorphosis of stone or bronze faces into something that appears protean and almost breathing. • But the epic heroes and heroines in these (large scale) photographs speak of the mystery of that essence, projecting a fleeting glimpse of a universal life force. The blur of sunlight and shadow falling across the face of a bronze statue suggests body dissolving into spirit. The fountain statue with water flowing from its mouth becomes a blazing Titan spitting fire in its photographic reincarnation.
MESSENGER #4, France. 1990 Toned Silver Gelatin Print 28 “ x 41”
MESSENGER #10, France. 1990 Toned Silver Gelatin Print 31” x 41”
MESSENGER #2, France. 1990 Toned Silver Gelatin Print 30 “ x 41”
MESSENGER #16, Italy. 1989 Toned Silver Gelatin Print
MESSENGER #20, France. 1989 Toned Silver Gelatin Print 13"x 17"
MESSENGER #14, Italy. 1989 Toned Silver Gelatin Print 29 “ x 42”
MESSENGER #17, Italy. 1990 Toned Silver Gelatin Print 29” x 42”
MESSENGER #1, Pennsylvania. 1990 Toned Silver Gelatin Print 29 “ x 42”
MESSENGER #5, Italy. 1989 Toned Silver Gelatin Print 29” x 42”
GRANTS AND AWARDS: 1996 1995 1988 1982 1979 1976
Bessie Berman Award for Photography, Leeway Foundation, Philadelphia Lifetime Achievement Award, Columbia College, Chicago National Endowment Individual Fellowship Grant, Residency, La Napoule, France National Endowment for the Arts Emerging Artist Fellowship Grant National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar, Paris, France John Quincy Adams Fellowship, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
SELECTED MUSEUM COLLECTIONS: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art Philadelphia Museum of Art Denver Art Museum Los Angeles County Museum of Art Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago California Museum of Photography, San Diego Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis The Art Institute of Chicago Centre Georges Pompidou George Eastman House J. Paul Getty Museum Center for Creative Photography, Tucson New Orleans Museum of Art The Milwaukee Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art
SCHMIDT/DEAN GALLERY 1719 Chestnut Street 4th Floor Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 www.schmidtdean.com 215-569-9433