Nude with Mask and Hat
Paul Outerbridge Jr. American
Not on view
Outerbridge was a successful commercial photographer, but although he found such work stimulating, he also made photographs as a means of personal expression throughout his career. Photographing nude models in color in the 1930s was challenging—not only in the difficulty of correctly capturing skin tones using complicated new processes, but also because finding a venue to publish or exhibit the work was unlikely. Although he began by posing his models in the manner of painted masterpieces, Outerbridge’s compositions became increasingly provocative in the late 1930s. The sexualized charge and commercial palette of works such as this were not in keeping with attitudes of the period and were not shown during the artist’s lifetime.
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