Multiple Exposure Portrait, Amsterdam
Erwin Blumenfeld American, born Germany
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.