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Lutz & Alex sitting in the trees

Photograph
1992 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Tillmans, Wolfgang (photographer)
Place of origin
England (photographed)
Germany (made)

Tillmans often profiles his immediate circle of friends, working collaboratively with his subjects so that they lose their inhibitions in front of the camera. His multi-purpose imagery is both a personal visual diary but also made to function in his books, magazines and on the gallery wall. His semi-naked models perched in the branches embody for the artist, 'an equally empowered gender relationship, a playful, prejudice-free use of sexuality'.

Object details

Categories
Photographs
Portraits
Object type
Photograph
TitleLutz & Alex sitting in the trees (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
C-type print
Photographic Paper
C-Type
Brief description
Photograph by Wolfgang Tillmans, 'Lutz & Alex sitting in the trees', 1992, C-type print
Physical description
A colour photograph depicting a semi-naked man and semi-naked woman sitting in a tree.
Dimensions
  • Sheet length: 32.7cm
  • Sheet width: 26cm
Gallery label
Gallery 100, 2016-17:

Wolfgang Tillmans (born 1968)
‘Lutz and Alex Sitting in the Trees’
1992

Wolfgang Tillmans has been one of the most influential photographers since the 1990s. His raw and confessional work often features his friends, in this picture, fashion designer Lutz Huelle and artist Alexandra Bircken. Tillmans works collaboratively with his subjects so that they lose their inhibitions in front of the camera.

C-type print
Museum no. E.846-1994
Unknown exhibition, probably c. 2000:
'Fashion photography used to be regarded as pretty or vapid. It became dynamic when Wolfgang was exploring implications of pose and the possibilities for appropriate dress. The nudity and implied sexual behavious in the series that this image came from was censored by newsagents in the highstreet, who refused to stock this issue, proving almost disastrous for i-D magazine. His multi-task imagery was designed and made to function in books, magazines, galleries and elsewhere and, similarly, he was operating as a photographer and stylist - a crossover that is still rare today. It is also interesting to note that the models were friends rather than from an agency.' - Jason Evans, Photographer, 2000
Credit line
Given by the artist
Historical context
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
Man
Woman
Tree
Summary
Tillmans often profiles his immediate circle of friends, working collaboratively with his subjects so that they lose their inhibitions in front of the camera. His multi-purpose imagery is both a personal visual diary but also made to function in his books, magazines and on the gallery wall. His semi-naked models perched in the branches embody for the artist, 'an equally empowered gender relationship, a playful, prejudice-free use of sexuality'.
Bibliographic references
  • Hammer, Martin. The naked portrait, 1900-2007. Edinburgh: National Galleries of Scotland, 2007. 152pp, illus. ISBN: 9781903278956.
  • Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1994
  • Jeffrey, Ian. 'The Photography Book'. London: Phaidon 1997 A semi-naked man and woman photographed in the presence of trees might be intended to suggest the Garden of Eden, or just to portray dressing up in the woods. This idyllic image appears in several of Tillmans's photo-installations. It is usually printed big (at one of three specified sizes) and accompanied by picture from street life. Tillmans's is a confessional art, centred around whatever catches his eye: dishes in a sink, fruit on a table-top, flowers, clichéd autumn foliage, airports, flyovers and the city seen from hotel windows. Like other European photographers in the 1980s and 1990s, he has dispensed with the idea that art should be taken from a special, privileged zone. The here and now has to be taken account of, even if it is shot through with contemporary gestures, expressions and motifs. Tillmans's career to date is summed up in 'for when I'm weak I'm strong' (1996), a record of his travels, encounters and installations.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.846-1994

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Record createdAugust 1, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O83088/lutz--alex-sitting-in-photograph-tillmans-wolfgang/
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