Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection

Apr 2, 2016–Apr 2, 2017

All

4 / 15

Previous Next

In the early twentieth century, a variety of new, popular leisure pursuits—vaudeville, theater, cabaret, sporting events, and, above all, motion pictures—thrust performers and entertainers into the public eye as never before. For the crowds that flocked to see them, the stars of these entertainments became larger than life. An array of media outlets, from tabloid newspapers to glossy magazines to radio, sprang up to broadcast their exploits to captivated audiences across the nation.

Artists eagerly delved into these new phenomena, making portraits that stoked the public’s growing fascination with celebrities. Photographers in particular took advantage of the commercial opportunities offered by the booming entertainment industry, creating easily reproducible images that seemed both authentic and intimate. Foremost among them, Edward Steichen introduced the aesthetic of the close-up in his stylish magazine portraits of movie stars and other luminaries, including the examples on view in this gallery. Other works chronicle the rise of pioneering African American performers such as jazz innovator Buddy Gilmore and actor Paul Robeson.

Below is a selection of works from Starstruck.

Back

4 / 7

Previous Next

After New York legalized boxing in 1920, it became one of the city’s most popular and lucrative sports. No boxer attained greater fame in this period than American heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, whose aggressive style and hitting power made him virtually unbeatable. This painting depicts the 1923 prizefight between Dempsey and his Argentine rival Luis Angel Firpo—the figure near the top of the composition here—which took place at the Polo Grounds with a crowd of 80,000 in attendance. Although Dempsey was the eventual victor, the artist represented the dramatic moment when Firpo knocked his opponent out of the ring with a tremendous blow to the jaw. The composition’s low vantage point places us among the spectators, including the artist himself, who appears as the balding man at the far left.

Artists

Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection

View 383 works

Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection

Starstruck

4

DEMPSEY AND FIRPO, 1924

Artists

Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection

On the Hour

Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection

Starstruck

4

DEMPSEY AND FIRPO, 1924

Artists

Explore works from this exhibition in the Whitney's collection

Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection