Image: National Gallery Of Scotland, Edinburgh ; event
A free talk titled ‘Reaching into History to Reach Us: Catherine Opie’s Photographic Portraits’ was scheduled for Wednesday 23 September, from 12.45 to 1.30pm, and was to be livestreamed via YouTube. The talk was led by Dr Tilly Scantlebury, an art historian and educator at the National Gallery, London.
The event situated Opie’s photographic portraits within the traditional art historical paintings they refer to and the contemporary LGBTQ+ American culture they visualise.
The exhibition features nearly 80 portraits by Opie alongside selected works from Scotland’s national art collection.
Opie’s portraits, shown alongside historic artworks from the National Galleries of Scotland collection, challenge reflection on the figures most commonly portrayed in art and those who go unseen. The portraits explore identity, family, love and the politics shaping modern life, and include Opie’s mentors and collaborators, queer communities, children, surfers, high-school footballers, political crowds and self-portraits of the artist.
