Submitted by Christine Edmonson on
In a tiny jewel of a publication lies a concept developed by curator Willem van Zoetendaal -- "to confront period frames with modern photography." Frames revisited: masterpieces of Dutch portrait photography shown in antique frames from the Frits Lugt Collection is an "Exposition-dossier VII" project undertaken by the Neerlandaise Fondation in collaboration with Fondation Custodia in Paris. The contemporary portraits, identified from A to Z and followed by catalog entries, are captured within Frits Lugt's wonderfully intricate antique frames.
It is a startling contrast. But the thrill for this reader is the brief history of Dutch frames and prints, “the liason between Picture and Frame.” We've had a lot of program discussion in the library about how prints were collected and framed, and many of my questions are answered in this delightful dossier. My last point -- go see Picasso's Bottle, Glass and Fork in the East Wing. Our curator William Robinson recently pointed out that a number of paintings were cleaned and reframed, including this one. And it works beautifully. Available at TR680 .F715 2005.