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Exhibition

Selves and Others

Gifts to the Museum from Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein
March 24–October 7, 2018
Floor 3

The most compelling portraits reveal more than simply a sitter’s physical appearance — they hint at an individual’s character, suggest a psychological state, or perhaps even offer a glimpse of the sitter’s soul. Drawn from the many generous gifts Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein have donated to SFMOMA’s collection since the late 1990s, this exhibition features portraits of the self; of personas or avatars; of family members, lovers, and friends; and of strangers. Made from the nineteenth century to the present and organized thematically, the works in the exhibition were created by artists including Claude Cahun, Rineke Dijkstra, Man Ray, Cindy Sherman, and Gillian Wearing, among many others.

Exhibition Preview

A double photograph of a blue-eyed woman seen straighton and in profile against an uneven black background
An elderly seated woman smoking a cigarette on a worn out floral print couch in an unkempt patio
Studio-style color portrait of a woman with blonde dreadlocks and an ill-fitting, beige, cable knit sweater
An uncanny black and white photograph of a white woman with 1950's style hair and blouse

Dora Maar, Double Portrait, 1930s; collection SFMOMA, gift of Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein; © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

William Eggleston, Jackson, Mississippi, ca. 1969–70, printed 1986; fractional and promised gift of Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein to SFMOMA; © Eggleston Artistic Trust

Cindy Sherman, Untitled #399, 2000; fractional and promised gift of Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein to SFMOMA; © Cindy Sherman, courtesy of the Artist and Metro Pictures

Gillian Wearing, Self-Portrait as My Mother, Jean Gregory, 2003; fractional and promised gift of Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein to SFMOMA; © Gillian Wearing