Works of Catherine Opie Presented in Warsaw

16 July 2010

Catherinie Opie, Catherine, Melanie & Sadie Rain, New York, New York, 1998; courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles © Catherine Opie

 
The National Musuem in Warsaw opened an exhibition on June 10.  As part of the exhibit, the U.S. Embassy sponsored the presentation of four photographs by distinguished American artist Catherine Opie.  The exhibition, Ars Homo Erotica, touches on the current politics of minority rights, and combines myths and art history with the contemporary debate on the condition of democracy.  It builds on the philosophy of eroticism as an experience formative to humanist ideas and their affirmation of joy and life.  A series of educational events and debates accompany the exhibit, which will be on display through August 5.  On July 16, Warsaw will be the site of the EuroPride 2010 annual LGBT parade.

Program of Events Related to the Exhibit

Secretary Clinton’s on LGBT Pride Month:  “This is a Human Rights Issue”

Catherine Opie is known for her portraits of the LGBT community, of surfers, and most recently, of high school football players.  She is currently a professor of Photography at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).  Her works are displayed in both museums and galleries internationally. Catherine Opie has won numerous awards, including the 1997 Citibank Private Bank Emerging Artist Award, the 1999 Washington University Freund Fellowship, the 2003 CalArts Alpert Award in the Arts, the 2004 Larry Aldrich Award, the San Francisco Art Institute President's Award for Excellence, and the 2006 United States Artist Fellowship.