Visible Vagina

Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 6-8 pm at Francis M. Naumann Fine Art
Thursday, January 28, 2010, 6-8 pm at David Nolan Gallery

THE VISIBLE VAGINA is an exhibition jointly organized by Francis M. Naumann and David Nolan. It is scheduled to open at Francis M. Naumann Fine Art (24 West 57th Street) and at David Nolan Gallery (527 West 29th Street) on January 28, 2010. Both shows will run concurrently, ending on March 20, 2010.

As the title of the exhibition suggests, the show is designed to make visible a portion of the female anatomy that is generally considered taboo―too private and intimate for public display. If shown at all, this part of a woman’s body is usually presented in an abject fashion, generally within the context of pornography, intended, in almost all cases, for the exclusive pleasure of men. The goal of this exhibition is to remove these prurient connotations, implicit even in works of art, ever since the pudendum was prudishly covered by a fig leaf. This gesture of false modesty, it should be noted, was devised and enforced entirely by men (not only in the case of classical sculpture, but also in the Bible, in which, immediately after their disobedience in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve cover their genitalia with fig leaves). Indeed, until recently, virtually all depictions of the frontal nude female figure were made by men, but as this exhibition will demonstrate, that has changed dramatically in recent years.

The catalogue for THE VISIBLE VAGINA will trace this motif in art history from prehistoric to modern times. It includes an introduction by the exhibition organizers, as well as a highly informative and provocative essay by Anna C. Chave, Professor of Contemporary Art and Theory at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Inspiration for both the show and its catalogue came from Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, a stage play that premiered off-Broadway in 1996, and was followed by various productions throughout the world (it appeared as a book in 1998). Ensler gave voice to countless women worldwide, honoring the complexity and mystery of their sexuality, basically encouraging them to consider their vaginas as powerful and expressive components of their physical selves, something not to be ashamed of, but to be proudly protected as an assertive and positive manifestation of their being. The idea for this show came from realizing that there was no better group to give vision to this goal than artists, many of whom had already incorporated imagery of the vagina in their works. Because of Ensler’s pioneering work in this field, the catalogue is dedicated to her, and proceeds from its sale shall be donated to V-Day, the organization she founded to end violence against women and girls throughout the world.

The following is a list of the artists whose work will be included in the exhibition (as well as a number whose work is only reproduced in the catalogue): Magdalena Abakanowicz, Ghada Amer, Beth B, Judie Bamber, Tracey Baran, Nancy Becker, Hans Bellmer, Mike Bidlo, Louise Bourgeois, Robert Brinker, Judy Chicago, Carol Cole, Maureen Connor, Gustave Courbet, Tee Corinne, John Currin, Sarah Davis, James Dee, Jay Defeo, Jim Dine, Leo Dohman, Marcel Duchamp, Carroll Dunham, Tracy Emin, India Evans, John Evans, Valie Export, Robert Forman, Neil Gall, Kathleen Gilje, Guerrilla Girls, Nancy Grossman, Barbara Hammer, Jane Hammond, Mona Hatoum, Stanley William Hayter, Sandra Vásquez de la Horra, David Humphrey, Paul Joostens, Pamela Joseph, Mel Kendrick, Elisabeth Kley, Jeff Koons, Mark Kostabi, Shigeko Kubota, Zoe Leonard, Sherrie Levine, Lee Lozano, Henri Maccheroni, Chema Madoz, Réné Magritte, Gerard Malanga, Man Ray, Robert Mapplethorpe, Marcel Mariën, André Masson, Sophie Matisse, Ana Mendieta, Allyson Mitchell, Cathy de Monchaux, Vik Muniz, Wangechi Mutu, Gladys Nilsson, Yoko Ono, Pablo Picasso, Chloe Piene, Richard Prince, Daniel Ranalli, Oona Ratcliffe, Niki de Saint-Phalle, Katia Santibanez, Peter Saul, Naomi Savage, Egon Schiele, Carolee Schneemann, Mira Schor, Michelle Segre, Tom Shannon, Cindy Sherman, James Siena, Laurie Simmons, Kiki Smith, Julie Speed, Nancy Spero, Betty Tompkins, Kiyoshi Tsuchiya, John Tweddle, Tabitha Vevers, Douglas Vogel, Robert Watts, Hannah Wilke, Terry Winters, Beatrice Wood.

PANEL DISCUSSION: David Nolan Gallery will host a panel discussion on the exhibition with the featured artists on Saturday, January 30 from 2-4 pm at 527 West 29th Street.

Magdalena Abakanowicz	Cercle Clair, 1971 Woven jute, 59 x 59 x 8 ½ inches
Beth B.	Untitled, 1997 2 Black and white photographs, 13 x 12 inches
Tracey Baran	Run, 2005 C-print, 40 x 30 inches Edition: 3/5, unframed
Nancy Becker	Female 3,4,5, and 7, 1992 Cardboard covered with glue with 5 coats of acrylic varnish
Hans Bellmer	Untitled Study for Georges Bataille’s “L’Histoire de l’œil” [“The Story of the Eye”], 1946 Gelatin silver prints, 2 1/8 x 2 1/8 inches
Mike Bidlo	Origins of the World (Courbet/Klein), 2007 Acrylic on paper, 14 x 17 inches
Robert Brinker	Vase #2, 2009 Cut paper, 9 ¾ x 6 inches
Robert Brinker	Chalice #1, 2009 Cut paper, 9 ¼ x 6 ¼ inches
Robert Brinker	Chalice #2, 2009 Cut paper, 9 ¼ x 6 ¼ inches
Robert Brinker	Vase #3, 2009 Cut paper, 15 ¼ x 8 3/8 inches
Carol Cole	Back into the Womb, 1997 Satin, lace, velour, rubber foam, acrylic paint, play tent, pacifiers, nipples, 48 x 48 x 48 inches
D. James Dee	Julie 05-538, 2005 (printed 2009) Gelatin silver selenium toned print, 24 x 20 inches
D. James Dee	Bella Vendetta 09_358, 2009 Gelatin silver selenium toned print, 20 x 24 inches
Marcel Duchamp	Bîite-Alerte: Missives Lascives, 1959 Aprons signed and dated by Duchamp
India Evans	You Are the Epitome of Secrets, 2008 Mixed media collage on paper, 9 x 4 inches
John Evans	September 15, 2008, 2008 Mixed Media, 8 ½ x 10 inches
Robert Forman	Pussy, 2009 Thread glued on board, 24 x 24 inches
Kathleen Gilje	White Stockings, 2009 Oil on canvas, 47 x 33 ¼ inches
Guerrilla Girls	The Guerrilla Girls’ Hysterical Herstory of Hysteria and How it Was Cured, from Ancient times Until Now: Dr. Feelgood, 2009 Inkjet print, 18 x 12 inches
Nancy Grossman	Bride, 1966 Mixed media assemblage, 22 ½ inches in diameter
Jane Hammond	October First (Mom’s Birthday), 2005 Selenium toned silver gelatin print, 14 x 11 inches
Jane Hammond	Little Country Doctor, 2006 Selenium toned silver gelatin print, 11 x 14 inches
Paul Joostens	Les Mollusques, 1925 Complete set of 6 original lithographs, each 15 5/8 x 16 ½ inches
Pamela Joseph	O’Keefe Grayline, 2007 Oil with collage on linen, 45 x 33 inches
Elisabeth Kley	VV1, 2009 Ink on paper, 11 ¾ x 8 ¼
Elisabeth Kley	VV2, 2009 Ink on paper, 11 ¾ x 8 ¼
Mark Kostabi	I Never Forget a Face, 2009 Oil on canvas, 31 ½ x 39 3/8 inches
Sherrie Levine	After Courbet: 1-18, 2009 18 postcards on mat board, each 20 x 16 inches
Henri Maccheroni	Untitled, 1970 Gelatin silver prints, each 9 ½ x 6 ¾ inches
Chema Madoz	Dreaming of Images, n.d. Gelatin silver print, 23 5/8 x 19 5/8 inches
Gerard Malanga	A Glacial Rest, 1983 Print, 16 x 20 inches
Man Ray	Female Abstraction, 1941 Pen and ink on paper, 12 x 10 ¾ inches
Man Ray	The Bicycle, 1950 Watercolor, pen and india ink over pencil on paper 30 1/3 x 40 1/3 cm
Robert Mapplethorpe	Lisa Lyon, 1982 Gelatin silver print, 20 x 16 inches
Marcel Mariën	Untitled, n.d. Ink on paper with cutout, 10 ½ x 14 ½ inches
André Masson	L’Origine du Monde, n.d. Lithograph on paper, 50/60, 11 ½ x 15 ½ inches
Sophie Matisse	Origin of the World, 2003 Velvet, oil on paper, laid down on canvas, 18 x 23 ½ inches
Ana Mendieta	Untitled, n.d. Black marker on paper, 19 x 13 ¼ inches
Ana Mendieta	Untitled, 1984 Pencil on paper, 11 5/8 x 8 ¼ inches
Ana Mendieta	Untitled, ca. 1980-84 Black pen on tracing paper, 9 x 12 inches
Wangechi Mutu	Spread Lily II, 2007 Ink, paint, mixed media, plant materials, and plastic pearls on X-ray paper, 17 x 14 inches
Tom Wesselmann	Study for Helen, 1966 Liquitex on paper, 18 x 25 ½ inches
Yoko Ono	My Mommy is Beautiful, 1997 Inkjet print on canvas, 39 3/8 x 39 3/8 inches
Pablo Picasso	Jeune Courtisane avec un Gentilhomme, un Sculpteur, et un Viellard alléché, 1968 Etching printed on Auvergne Richard de Bas laid paper, 4 7/8 x 3 ½ inches
Pablo Picasso	La Célestine, sa Protégée, et un jeune Gentilhomme, 1968 Sugarlift aquatint printed on Auvergne Richard de Bas laid paper, 3 ½ x 4 7/8 inches
Pablo Picasso	Homme à la Pipe et à la Canne et Jeune Femme nue, 1971 Sugarlift aquatint and drypoint with scraper printed on Auvergne Richard de Bas laid paper, 3 ½ x 4 ¾ inches
Richard Prince	Lynn Valley, 2006 C-print on Kodak matte, 10 ½ x 7 ¾ inches
Daniel Ranalli	Light Opening #2, 1982 Split toned photogram (gelatin silver print), 20 x 16 inches
Naomi Savage	Elle, 2000 Gelatin silver print, 9 7/8 x 12 ¾ inches
Carolee Schneemann	Vulva’s Morphia, 1995 Total wall installation 5 x 8 feet; each panel 8 ½ x 11 inches Text 58 x 2 inches.
Tom Shannon	Red Plus, 2009 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 22 inches
James Siena	Place, second version, 2009 Ink on paper, 8 x 6 ¼ inches
Betty Tompkins	Cunt Grid #12, 2009 Acrylic on canvas, 54 x 42 inches
Kiyoshi Tsuchiya	Nude on Floor, 2007 Terra cotta, 13 x 8 ½ x 5 inches
Tabitha Vevers	When We Talk About Rape IV, 2009 Oil & gold leaf on Mylar, 10 7/8 x 14 7/8 inches
Douglas Vogel	Three Graces, 2009 Blonde, Brunette and Redhead Hair Pies, 1969 3 ink jet prints framed, 19 ½ x 38 inches
Robert Watts	Girl with Mole That Lights Up, 1965 Black & white photograph, wood, electric light and switch 7 x 9 ½ x 3 1/8 inches
Hannah Wilke	Untitled, 1970’s Group of 5 one-fold ceramic sculptures, dimensions vary
Beatrice Wood	Un peut d’eau dans du savon, 1917 (1977 replica) Glazed earthenware and soap, 11 ¾ x 9 7/8 inches

“THE VISIBLE VAGINA”

FRANCIS M. NAUMANN FINE ART

and DAVID NOLAN GALLERY