Photographic Essays on Intimacy
Artur Nikodem
Hardcover
48 pages
$25.00
The photographs of Austrian painter Artur Nikodem were not exhibited or discussed outside of the studio until after his death. The images in Photographic Essays on Intimacy examine this rarely seen aspect of his creative life. Although he worked as a painter for the bulk of his artistic career, he was also a prolific photographer, documenting the small towns and pastoral beauty of the Austrian countryside as well as the women in his life. Nikodem captures the essence of these women: his lover Gunda Wiese (who died of tuberculosis), and his wife, Barbara Hoyer. These sensual portraits portray the erotic tension between the older artist and his much younger subjects. The body language is reminiscent of the work of Egon Schiele. Artur Nikodem's portraits have also invited comparison to the series of photographs by Alfred Stieglitz of Georgia O'Keefe, similarly characterized by both playful experimentation and somber meditation. Many of Nikodem's photographs were printed only once, making them singular objects of art. Published by Robert Mann Gallery to coincide with the exhibition of the same name, with images reproduced 1:1 from the original photographs, this book provides a unique and valuable insight into Nikodem's life and work.
Related Exhibition
Artur Nikodem: Photographic Essays on Intimacy
January 10 — March 2, 2002
