Francesca Woodman, Untitled, from Eel Series, Venice, Italy 1978. ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. © Woodman Family Foundation / Artist’s Rights Society (ARS), New York and DACS, London.
12 rooms in In the Studio
These works combine photography and performance to explore hidden parts of the self
Francesca Woodman was surrounded by art from a young age – her father was a painter and her mother a ceramicist. When she was 13 years old, Woodman’s father gave her the camera that she used to create her first works. She developed her artistic practice while at Rhode Island School of Design, during her year studying in Rome, and later in New York.
Woodman’s archive includes more than 800 black-and-white photographic prints, many of which are self-portraits. Each image is a carefully choreographed performance for the camera. Woodman regularly staged her work in empty studio spaces and abandoned buildings. She used furniture, wallpaper, shadows and her body to conceal as much as she revealed. Her work invites us to consider how we see ourselves and how we are perceived by others. Woodman wrote: ‘I show you what you do not see – the body’s inner force. You cannot see me from where I look at myself.’
Francesca Woodman, Space², Providence, Rhode Island 1976
Gallery label, April 2025
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artworks in ARTIST ROOMS: Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman, Untitled, from Polka Dots Series, Providence, Rhode Island 1976
Gallery label, April 2025
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artworks in ARTIST ROOMS: Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman, Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island 1976
Gallery label, April 2025
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artworks in ARTIST ROOMS: Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman, Untitled, from Eel Series, Venice, Italy 1978
Gallery label, April 2025
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artworks in ARTIST ROOMS: Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman, Space², Providence, Rhode Island 1976
Gallery label, April 2025
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artworks in ARTIST ROOMS: Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman, Untitled, from Angel Series, Rome, Italy 1977
The black and white photograph Untitled, from Angel Series, Rome, Italy 1977 depicts the interior of a rundown building, with a doorframe taking up a large portion of the image. Through the doorframe can be seen two figures. The figure to the left stands behind a large crumpled sheet of paper, with only their feet and a very faint impression of their body visible. The shape is blurred with movement. The second figure, on the right-hand side, appears to be crouched behind a small rectangular form (perhaps a wooden board or block), with only a hand visible from the left side. A bright light from the left illuminates the otherwise empty space.
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artworks in ARTIST ROOMS: Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman, Untitled, Concord, New Hampshire 1977
Francesca Woodman sits along the right edge of this black and white photograph. Her body is angled towards the camera and largely blocks the window visible behind her. Her face is in shadow. She wears dark, heavy-looking clothing and her hands are placed in her lap, where they stand out amongst the black. Her hands are further illuminated by a slant of light that directs the eye to the left, where an array of framed photographic portraits – mostly of children – are arranged on a small table. The space is otherwise bare except for what looks like a painting or other piece of art hung on the wall in the upper left corner of the image. Written in dark ink below the bottom right corner of the photograph, on the off-white border, is a squiggle that resembles the number 5.
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artworks in ARTIST ROOMS: Francesca Woodman
Art in this room
Francesca Woodman
Space², Providence, Rhode Island
1976
Francesca Woodman
Untitled, from Polka Dots Series, Providence, Rhode Island
1976
Francesca Woodman
Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island
1976
Francesca Woodman
Untitled, from Eel Series, Venice, Italy
1978
Francesca Woodman
Space², Providence, Rhode Island
1976
Francesca Woodman
Untitled, from Angel Series, Rome, Italy
1977
Francesca Woodman
Untitled, Concord, New Hampshire
1977