“Glorious Harvest” the tribute show in honor of photography curator Michael Hoffman at the PMA is notable for many beautiful images, including a large Richard Misrach from the Dead Animals series (not shown) that to my mind was the show-stopper.
But, as current photography curator Kate Ware pointed out at the press preview, “Golden Harvest” has many blockbuster names and a lot of great images. It’s also a show of disparate images, which mirrors Hoffman’s broad taste.
Stella, who was with me, was nonplussed by the Misrach but loved the Catherine Chalmers “Sex (after)” a close up of a preying mantis eating its mate which I didn’t care for.
All the work is donated by artists Hoffman worked with during his long career at the PMA and with the Aperture Foundation.
Ware said the donations, which she called “a significant addition to our holdings, include two firsts for the PMA collection : a first Robert Mapplethorpe and a first Sally Mann. Hard to believe, but true.
The photos in question are Mapplethorpe’s “William Burroughs,” 1980, (top image) and Mann’s “Untitled,” 1980s (left)
I highly recommend the show, not only for these two lovely images and the Misrach but for the rest of the who’s who in the show, all represented by good, strong work.
