Body Language

A study of modern art and a primary subject of all art - the human face and the human body, with their infinite variety of gesture and expression. Published to accompany a section of the autumn centennial exhibitions (October 7th to February 1st 2000) at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the book is organized into five sections - on faces, gestures, postures, pairs, and groups. More than 100 images are reproduced, drawn from all of the Museum's collections, mostly from the period 1880-1920, but with more recent examples which amplify the themes presented. The selection is eclectic and provocative. In addition to the introductory essay, short commentaries appear with paired pictures throughout the book - Toulouse-Lautrec with Garry Winogrand, Dorothea Lange with Kathe Kollwitz, Lewis Carroll with Balthus, suggesting unexpected relationships and ways of looking at these compelling images.