Irving Penn exhibition in Paris 'Capturing the essence of Anna Halprin's dance choregraphy The Bath'

The Bath by Irving Penn

Where: Thaddaeus Ropac
When: September 23 - November 30, 2023
Why It's Worth a Look: Irving Penn captures the essence of Anna Halprin's improvisatory dance choregraphy, The Bath, through a seldom seen series of 14 photographs taken during the artist's partnership with the Dancer's Workshop of San Fransisco in 1967. The images depict nude dancers bathing in front of another, with tiny water droplets appearing on their skin and on the studio floor, their bodies encouraging comparison to antique sculptures.
Know Before You Go: This series of photographs was considered too daring to be published in the 1968 issue of Look magazine, and according to The Irving Penn Foundation, remained forgotten for almost three decades until 1995 when Halprin asked for the photos for her archive. “The pictures are primarily of embraces,” Penn said when he saw the photos again in 1995. “Beautiful and touching. Here they are without clothes, there’s love, the gestures are tenderly erotic but certainly not pornographic.”