ROM and AGO unveil two star-studded exhibitions
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) launched two complementary and dynamic exhibitions this fall, featuring images that epitomize glamour and that have helped define the public personas of some of the world’s most influential people.
September 26 marked the simultaneous opening of two iconic photography exhibitions – the ROM’s Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008, presented by the Bay, featuring classic images from Vanity Fair magazine’s early years and contemporary images after its 1983 re-launch, and the AGO’s Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, the Condé Nast Years, 1923-1937, showcasing photographs by one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century.
Visitors to either exhibition can retain their ticket stubs for presentation at the other venue to receive 20% off the cost of admission. A reciprocal members’ weekend will also be offered on October 17 and 18, allowing ROM and AGO members free admission to the other attraction.
The ROM and AGO will also host a panel discussion focusing on the culture of celebrity and photographic portraiture on Monday, November 9. Facing the Lens, Seeing the Light: Observations on Portrait Photography will be moderated by Sophie Hackett, assistant curator of Photography at the AGO and Francisco Alvarez, managing director of the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the ROM, and will include photographer Nigel Dickson, gallerist Jane Corkin and Dr.Lilly Koltun of the Portrait Gallery of Canada.
The AGO exhibition Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, the Condé Nast Years, 1923-1937 and the ROM exhibition Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008 will run from September 26, 2009 to January 3, 2010.