Multiple Exposure Portrait, Amsterdam

1932

Not on view

In what might be viewed as a crafty nod to the mythological Three Graces, photographer Erwin Blumenfeld endowed his exuberant sitter with several countenances. Through multiple exposures, he transformed the woman into an unforgettable muse to the art of photography. Blumenfeld seriously pursued his childhood interest in the art of the camera after discovering a functional darkroom in the back of his leather goods store in Amsterdam, where he photographed customers and passersby. This playful portrait reveals the influence of the Dada movement, with which Blumenfeld was associated, and the radical experimentation of so-called New Vision photography.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Multiple Exposure Portrait, Amsterdam
Artist: Erwin Blumenfeld (American (born Germany), Berlin 1897–1969 Rome)
Date: 1932
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Dimensions: Image: 15 1/2 × 11 9/16 in. (39.3 × 29.4 cm)
Mount: 15 13/16 in. × 11 7/8 in. (40.2 × 30.2 cm)
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2025
Object Number: 2025.344
Curatorial Department: Photographs

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