A Photographer’s Life
Yesterday, after spending the morning browsing through an art and jewelry sale at Fort Mason, munching delicious veggie sandwiches in the Marina and appreciating the hell out of the warmth and sunshine, my momma and I decided to trek over to the Legion of Honor museum to check out the new Annie Leibovitz exhibit. A-maz-ing. I’ve loved Annie’s photography since I first started sneaking my mom’s subscription of Rolling Stone as a pre-teen. It was her work with musicians that first really drew me in, but having since seen her shoots of political figures, celebrities and artists, I’m pretty much enthralled with all her work. The exhibit features 200 pieces from 1990-2005 that encompass her entire life as a photographer — personal and professional. And while her over-sized prints of everyone from Demi Moore to Mikhail Baryshnikov were fascinating, I was most impressed by the simple photos she shot of her family vacationing and her small daughter (whom she had in her 50s… yow!) playing in the garden. Annie also shows a number of photos of her partner Susan Sontag that illustrate her life, battle with cancer and subsequent death a few years ago. There’s a passion and perspective in all the photographer’s work that is exceptional, but the personal element that comes out in these intimate portraits is just amazing. While she very rarely turns the lens on herself, the exhibit tells more about her than any self-portraits or writings ever could. Go see it. Now. (Runs through May 25, 2008.)
