The Europeans: Photographs by Tina Barney

The Europeans, which recently opened at CoPA Sponsor the Haggerty Museum of Art, provides an intimate look at wealthy Europeans at home through the eyes of American photographer Tina Barney. 1945). Known for her large, lush and colorful photographs, Barney began capturing images of friends and family in 1975 and quickly gained art-world attention for her often candid, tableau-like images. To produce the works in the exhibition, Barney embarked on her own modern version of the Grand Tour of Europe between 1996 and 2004. She traveled to Austria, Italy, England, Spain, France, and Germany, photographing people of means who earlier would have commissioned painted portraits of themselves. The exhibition presents 20 works from that series including a 2010 Haggerty acquisition, The Daughters. The Haggerty exhibition of The Europeans is the first time a large selection from the series has been seen in an American museum.

Upon viewing The Europeans, one is drawn to the background of the images as much to the subjects. This is one of Barney’s hallmarks, distinguishing her photographs from standard professional portraits with statically posed subjects in unremarkable settings. She redefines the photographic portrait through her use of selective focus to ensure that specific elements of the image are clear and pristine, directing our attention in subtle and not-so-subtle ways to the sumptuous surroundings. In the end, it is the patterns, texture, color, and composition surrounding the subjects that make her images distinctive.

Visit CoPA sponsor the Haggerty Museum of Art's website to learn more about this photography exhibition and accompanying programming.