Hisaji Hara's Photographic Renditions of Balthus

Using medium-format film and meticulous in-camera methods, Hisaji Hara reinvents the legendary and provocative paintings of highly revered 20th century figurative painter, Balthus (1908-2001). In his staged tableaux, Hara appropriates the adolescent subjects featured in Balthus’ canvases, paying particular attention to details in posture and expression. The setting as well as the costuming, however, are uniquely Japanese. Thus, the artist culls from the suggestive vocabulary of the originals – paintings simultaneously youthful and erotic – while playing with strict architectural formalism and Lolitaesque obsessions that anchor the work in Japanese cultural traditions. On view now at the Rose Gallery in Los Angeles, the American debut of Hisaji Hara’s "A photographic portrayal of the paintings of Balthus.” Black and white prints from this acclaimed series will be on view until July 7, 2012.

Bob Carlos Clarke: One-Offs

Described as "one of the great photographic image-makers of the last few decades" by Terence Pepper, Curator of Photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, a new exhibition at The Little Black Gallery in London gives the public and collectors a rare opportunity to view and buy unique Bob Carlos Clarke photographs. All the pictures have been chosen by his widow Lindsey Carlos Clarke from the extensive archives. Many are handcoloured, distressed, or were printed once and then left forgotten until now. Bob Carlos Clarke was born in Cork, Ireland in 1950. He worked in almost every sphere of photography, winning numerous awards for his high-profile advertising campaigns, recognition for his photojournalism and portraits of celebrities, and international acclaim from collectors of fine prints. Suffering from depression Clarke stepped in front of train and died in 2006. One-Offs will be on view from May 28 to June 30, 2012 at The Little Black Gallery, 13A Park Walk, London SW10 0AJ

Dreamscapes

Looking through the archives....a photograph of Adarsha Benjamin pondering her next shot for a fashion story at a John Lautner house for the first issue of AUTRE almost one year ago today. Adarsha will be having her first solo exhibition, entitled Dreamscapes, next week in Los Angeles.  Along side the series of photographs & moving images there will be Soundscapes by Rocco Deluca and tunes DJ'd by the Ana Calderon. Dreamscapes will be on view as part of The Rooftop Sessions artist series at Siren Studios, May 17th 6-10pm. RSVP by Wednesday May 16th at rsvp@sirenstudios.com.

Helmut Newton's Sex & Landscapes

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Opening June 1st in Los Angeles, Helmut Newton's Sex & Landscapes, a series created in collaboration with the late artist’s wife and collaborator, June Netwon, features 20 of his so-called “sex pictures” — glamorous, seductive shots of women in various states of undress and seductive performance — and 20 landscapes.  Helmut Netwon: Sex and Landscapes, opens on June 1 at Perry Rubenstein Galleryat 1215 N. Highland Avenue.

Richard Avedon's Murals & Portraits @ Gagosian New York

Opening today at Gagosian New York, Richard Avedon's Murals & Portraits. Against the backdrop of America's social and political transformation, Avedon began to create four photographic murals between 1969 and 1971 which would be unprecedented in scale and pointed in subject. Between 20 to 35 feet wide and comprising up to five panels, the murals revealed a striking new format in which subjects were positioned frontally and aligned against a stark white background. This intensity of characterization and confrontational aspect typifies Avedon's portraits; his subjects exist larger than life, stripped of all artifice by an unflinching eye. His mural groupings featured emblematic figures: Andy Warhol with the players and stars of The Factory; The Chicago Seven, political radicals charged with and acquitted of conspiracy to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention; the Beat poet Allen Ginsberg and his extended family; and the Mission Council, a group of military and government officials who governed the United States' participation in the Vietnam War. Murals and Portraits will be on view from May 4 to July 6 at Gagosian, 522 West 21, New York.