Annie Leibovitz Exhibit at the Legion of Honor
The exhibit ends in a week so I headed to San Francisco on Wednesday to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibit, “A Photographer’s Life” created by the Brooklyn Museum. I got there early before the crowds and was able to have the space to look at the photos at my pace.
The exhibit was a combination of photos of her family, of Susan Sonntag, and her well known photos shot for magazines. For the most part the commercial photos did nothing for me, although there were a few that stood out — The photos of Cheney and Rice that looked like mug shots; chaotic photos of the Bush gang and the regal photos of Clinton, Schwartzkopf, and Powell; and the more personal photos of Queen Elizabeth.
I was interested in the family photos. They were what captured my soul (as did the photo of Susan Sonntag at her funeral). In looking at the photos of her parents and siblings I saw the love and the individuality of the family. They are very different then my family — I can’t imagine having a portrait taken topless of my sisters and brother in law. I was touched by the photos of her father and nephew. I enjoyed the family images taken of the gathering for her nephew Ross’ bar mitzvah, but not of the service or party itself.
In one label of a photo of her mother she commented that they had to smile in photos as children. Yes, the photos all looked like they had fun together, but the photo it described was of a mature woman who didn’t wear a smile, but did have presence. As someone who has a great smile and who has always been told to smile if I wasn’t smiling I am sensitive to being told to smile when I’m not in the mood, or it’s just not where I am at the moment.
I was also touched by the photos of her father immediately before his death. Showing his hospital bed in her parent’s living room and her brother visiting with her father was extremely touching.
Grouping the photos in twos and fours were very effective. The grouping and the smaller size offered intimacy and told a story. They captured my soul.