Photograph by Ed Pollard, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digital slr-2008.

Venus (Self Portrait)

Artist Carla Williams (American, b.1965)

CultureAmerican

Date1994

MediumPlatinum print

DimensionsOverall, Image: 13 1/4 × 10 3/8 in. (33.7 × 26.4 cm)
Overall: 14 1/8 × 11 in. (35.9 × 27.9 cm)
Overall, Mat: 24 1/2 × 19 5/16 in. (62.2 × 49.1 cm)

Inscribed"Carla Williams CM Untitled Self Portraits printed 11-99 f22/22 wash"

Credit LineGift of Joyce F. and Robert B. Menschel

Object number2007.12.118

Not on view

DescriptionThis platinum print is of nude woman sitting against a white backdrop. She has her head back and her face is seen in profile. She has her legs bent under her and she is holding her ankle.

Label TextCarla Williams American (b. 1965) Venus (Self-Portrait), 1994 Platinum print Gift of Joyce F. and Robert B. Menschel 2007.12.118 Carla Williams uses self-portraiture to explore notions of identity, beauty, and desirability. Much like her teacher, Anne Noggle (on view nearby), Williams claims ownership of her body, opting to photograph herself nude and in striking poses of power rather than submission. In Venus (Self-Portrait), Williams uses her body to confront racial stereotypes. Her pose recalls historical images of Saartjie Baartman (1789-1815), a Khoikhoi woman from South Africa who was brought to Europe and was exhibited in the nude at carnivals. Audiences ridiculed "Sarah" and her heavy, ungainly form, and sarcastically called her "The Hottentot Venus"-an Afrikaans slur against her aboriginal race. In her self-portrait, Williams proudly reclaims Baartman's legacy and presents her own body as the equal of the mythic Venus. ProvenanceCollection of Robert B. and Joyce F. Menschel, New York; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, Gift of Joyce F. and Robert B. Menschel, 2007 Exhibition History'Recent Photography Acquistions," Alice R. and Frank B. Sol Photography Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, December 12, 2008. "Women of the Chrysler: a 400-Year Celebration of the Arts," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., March 24 - July 18, 2010.