WattsOS
JC
Jenner, California
1974 · gelatin silver print
image and paper: 34.2 x 26.6 cm (13 7/16 x 10 1/2 in.); Mounted: 50.7 x 40.6 cm (19 15/16 x 16 in.)
Cleveland Museum of Art
WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture
Ruth Bernhard
American, 1905
Berlin, Germany
PhotographyPhotography
Representation
None documented
5
Institutional Exhibitions
9
Works in Collection
16
Assets Indexed
4
Authority-backed Facts
0
Publications Referenced
90%
Profile Completeness
Cultural Positioning
Movements
- • Photography
Related Artists
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Selected Institutional Exhibitions
View all exhibitions →No image
Photography for Collectors
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1976
No image
50 Photographs by 50 Photographers
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1962
No image
30th Anniversary Special Installation - Towards the "New" Museum
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1959
No image
Image of Freedom
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1941–1942
No image
Sixty Photographs: A Survey of Camera Esthetics
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1940–1941
About
Why this artist matters now
Ruth Bernhard was an American photographer known for her close-cropped black-and-white studies of the human form, often featuring nudes and partial bodies arranged in compositions that emphasize sculptural abstraction over narrative. Working primarily with large-format cameras from the 1930s onward, she produced images of stark tonal control and formal precision that treat the body as pure geometric material. Her work bridges modernist photography and figurative sculpture, creating intimate yet monumental compositions. Bernhard maintained an independent studio practice for over seven decades, remaining committed to gelatin silver printing and direct observation.
Source: Christies Artsy · Trust score: 100% · Updated 1mo ago
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Photography
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12 in graph
Institutional
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Artworks (9)
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Movements and affiliations
Institutional
Representation & Collections
In collection
Cleveland Museum of Art
In collection
Museum of Modern Art
New York, US
Market
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