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Susanne and Lutz, white dress, Army skirt

Photograph
1993 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Wolfgang Tillmans has become one of the most prominent and influential photographers to emerge during the 1990's. He studied at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design in England from 1990 to 1992. Tillmans began his career photographing the London club scene and creating spreads for i-D magazine.

He profiles the lifestyles of his immediate circle of friends, working collaboratively with his subjects so that they lose their inhibitions in front of the camera. Tillmans produces raw, confessional images yet stays within the traditional genres of portraiture, landscape and still-life. His ability to produce powerful and sometimes shocking images has brought him success in art galleries, museums and mainstream media alike. During the 2000s, Tillmans turned toward Abstract expressionism by using his photographs to create sculptures and by exploiting mistakes during the development process.

This photograph is typical of the portrait work Tillmans produced in the 1990s. Here, he uses models that were his friends rather than from an agency, and while he styles and directs them, Tillmans also ‘creates an atmosphere of possibility so that they too can act out their desires… getting people in front of a camera into a mode where on the one hand they can lose some of their inhibitions whilst remaining aware of the process of which they are a part.’


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSusanne and Lutz, white dress, Army skirt (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
C-type print
Brief description
Photograph by Wolfgang Tillmans, 'Suzanne and Lute, white dress, Army skirt', photograph printed on C-type colour paper, 1993
Physical description
A colour photograph depicting a man and a woman standing side by side. The man is wearing a US Army T-shirt and a skirt made from Army material. The woman is wearing a white dress and is holding her hand around her head in a contorted position.
Dimensions
  • Height: 26.8cm (Note: size of image)
  • Width: 18.1 cm (Note: size of image)
Dimensions taken from Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1994
Credit line
Copyright Wolfgang Tillmans
Object history
Tillmans has become one of the most prominent and influential photographers to emerge during the 1990's. He profiles the lifestyles of his immediate circle of friends, working collaboratively with his subjects so that they lose their inhibitions in front of the camera. Tillmans produces raw, confessional images yet stays within the traditional genres of portraiture, landscape and still-life. His ability to produce powerful and sometimes shocking images has brought him success in art galleries and mainstream media alike.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Wolfgang Tillmans has become one of the most prominent and influential photographers to emerge during the 1990's. He studied at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design in England from 1990 to 1992. Tillmans began his career photographing the London club scene and creating spreads for i-D magazine.

He profiles the lifestyles of his immediate circle of friends, working collaboratively with his subjects so that they lose their inhibitions in front of the camera. Tillmans produces raw, confessional images yet stays within the traditional genres of portraiture, landscape and still-life. His ability to produce powerful and sometimes shocking images has brought him success in art galleries, museums and mainstream media alike. During the 2000s, Tillmans turned toward Abstract expressionism by using his photographs to create sculptures and by exploiting mistakes during the development process.

This photograph is typical of the portrait work Tillmans produced in the 1990s. Here, he uses models that were his friends rather than from an agency, and while he styles and directs them, Tillmans also ‘creates an atmosphere of possibility so that they too can act out their desires… getting people in front of a camera into a mode where on the one hand they can lose some of their inhibitions whilst remaining aware of the process of which they are a part.’
Bibliographic reference
Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1994
Collection
Accession number
E.851-1994

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Record createdAugust 1, 2003
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