June 1, 2007

Arts - Annie Leibovitz @ High

We went to see the Annie Leibovitz show at the High last night. We have been really looking forward to going and Ed is a big fan of her work. It had been awhile since we had been to the museum so it was nice to be back.

The show is in conjunction with the release of her book that covers approximately the last 15 years. It covers her commercial work as well as her family life.

The commercial work is good, of course. Quite a few of the works shown I had seen because I obsessively read the magazines she works for. Some of the most interesting were the political ones. There is one piece that shows Bill Clinton in the oval office right after the first election. Looking at it, I could really see what people liked and found so appealing about him. We thought the portrait of John Ashcroft was most intriguing because it captures how artificial the political machines are. Also, there is a great one of Johnny Depp and Kate Moss from back in the day.

The personal work really got to me. I was not prepared at all. Annie chronicles the illnesses and eventual death of her long-time partner. She follows with the death of her father. Ed and I were very moved by this considering what we have recently been thru. The pictures are intimate and sad. In my opinion, chronicling the deaths of two loved ones so close together takes great strength.

The photos of illness and death are intertwined with pictures of Annie’s young children. Death and life mingling can be rather haunting.

I would recommend anyone go. The museum is rather crowded even at night due to several high profile shows on display so take that into consideration too.