Collier Schorr (born 1963) is an American artist and fashion photographer best known for adolescent portraits that blend photographic

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

with elements of fiction and youthful fantasy. Schorr grew up in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York and studied journalism at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

. In the 1980s and 1990s she also worked actively as an art critic. Her photography work was featured in the 2002 Whitney Biennial and the 2003

International Center for Photography The International Center of Photography (ICP), at 79 Essex Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, consists of a museum for photography and visual culture and a school offering an array of educational courses and programming. ...

Triennial. In 2008 she received a Berlin Prize by the

American Academy in Berlin The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, nonpartisan research and cultural institution in Berlin dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and Germany ...

. Collier Schorr is represented by Stuart Shave/Modern Art, London and

303 Gallery 303 Gallery is an art gallery in Manhattan, New York. It was established in 1984 by owner and director Lisa Spellman, described by art critic Jerry Saltz as "one of the greatest New York gallerists of our time". The gallery hosts contemporary works ...

, New York. She currently resides in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and spends her summers with family in

Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Gmünd (, until 1934: Gmünd; Swabian: ''Gmẽẽd'' or ''Gmend'') is a city in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 60,000, the city is the second largest in the Ostalb district a ...

, in Southern Germany. Her work explores a multitude of themes, including history, nationality, and war, with an emphasis on identity and gender. Her influences include

Barbara Kruger Barbara Kruger (born January 26, 1945) is an American conceptual artist and collagist associated with the Pictures Generation. She is most known for her collage style that consists of black-and-white photographs, overlaid with declarative captio ...

Cindy Sherman Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough work is often co ...

, and Laurie Simmons, along with German and Jewish

social history Social history, often called the new social history, is a field of history that looks at the lived experience of the past. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in his ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, painter

Andrew Wyeth Andrew Newell Wyeth ( ; July 12, 1917 – January 16, 2009) was an American visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century. In his ...

, and German photographer

August Sander August Sander (17 November 1876 – 20 April 1964) was a German portrait and documentary photographer. His first book ''Face of our Time'' (German: ''Antlitz der Zeit'') was published in 1929. Sander has been described as "the most important Ger ...

Early work

From the beginning of her photography career in 1986 to about 2014, Schorr's work was primarily seen in a number of solo exhibitions, along with published books to aid in further exploration of various overarching themes. By incorporating documentary, fantasy, and an occasional interweaving of different media, Schorr dissected the concepts behind identity politics in an age of feminism. She was heavily influenced by the androgyny of 1980s fashion, and utilized the momentum it generated to create art that drew upon elements of fashion photography while also interrogating other cultural boundaries. Though her recent work is featured in fashion magazines, her earlier photographs would easily fit there as well. ''There I Was,'' a gallery show at the

in New York and book released in 2009, is a perfect example of Schorr's abilities to push the limits of medium and perspective. Drawing on her experience with the drag car racer Charlie Snyder and his surprising death in Vietnam, Schorr questions everything regarding reportage, memory, and the inability to recreate the past. She combines drawings, photos, and cut-up magazines to create a collage of information that conveys her thoughts about the disconnect between the photograph, the viewer, and the subject. Ultimately, Schorr's early work represents her exploration of feminism, identity, sexuality, and gender during a period wherein these concepts were being questioned on a larger cultural scale. Through her personal touches and combination of media, Schorr exalts the underrepresented to find her own place in society.

Recent work

Although Schorr continues her exploration of adolescent

androgyny Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in ...

, her photographic platform fully transitioned to fashion magazines by 2014. Her earliest fashion photography was featured in such publications as '' Purple Magazine'' and '' i-D'', and focused on clothing rather than on artistic photography. Her later photography would combine the two by utilizing popular culture icons. She recently photographed newly famous adolescent actors

Finn Wolfhard Finn Wolfhard (born December 23, 2002) is a Canadian actor and musician. He gained recognition for playing Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things character), Mike Wheeler in the Netflix series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). His film roles include ...

and

Millie Bobby Brown Millie Bobby Brown (born 19 February 2004) is a British actress and producer. She gained recognition for playing Eleven in the Netflix science fiction series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present), for which she received nominations for two Prime ...

for ''

Dazed ''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a bi-monthly British style magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. Dazed is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for producing ...

'' magazine, highlighting their physical similarities. Other pop culture icons Schorr has worked with include

Timothée Chalamet Timothée Hal Chalamet (; ; born December 27, 1995) is an American actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Timothée Chalamet, various accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, a ...

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Mon� ...

, and

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the ho ...

, and further explores androgyny and removes the subject from stereotypical depictions of gender. Schorr's work expresses a viewpoint that is neither masculine nor heterosexual. Much of her work comes from a place of altering perception, either looking deeper into what is considered normal or altering the usual context of an idea in order to create a commentary on the subject. In 2019, Collier Schorr received the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is one of the world's oldest photographic societies. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as the Photographic Society of London with ...

Award for Editorial, Advertising, and Fashion Photography, with an Honorary Fellowship of the Society.

Notable works

''Jens F.''

First exhibited at the 2002 Whitney Biennial, and then featured at the 303 Gallery in New York in 2003, ''Jens F.'' features a myriad of photographs, sketches, and notes regarding the image of a young German boy. Using Andrew Wyeth's depictions of the model Helga from the late 20th century as a template, Schorr depicts male Jens as an androgynous and emotional figure. The obvious juxtaposition of genders and the boy's acknowledging gaze conveys the idea that modern sexuality is being challenged with confidence.

''Forests and Fields''

After living in the small town of Schwabisch Gmund, Germany for 12 years, Schorr has created ''Forests and Fields'' in order to explore the composition of the environment, its inhabitants, and herself. The collection was first presented as a complete exhibition at the 303 Gallery in 2001, focusing on images that varied from young boys dressed in Nazi uniforms to deliberately designed

still-lifes A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (drinking glasses, book ...

of nature. In a nod toward August Sander's 1930s work, Schorr later expanded the project into multiple books, each focusing on a different aspect of her overall idea.

''Volume 1: Neighbors''

''Neighbors'' was published in 2006 as the first volume of ''Forests and Fields'', and mainly focuses on ambiguous portraits. Schorr manipulates themes of nationality, identity, and history to create a scrapbook-like composition of images that toes the line between documentary and fantasy. An exhibition titled ''Badischer Kunstverein'' took place in 2007 to accompany this volume.

''Volume 2: Blumen''

Moving away from portraits, ''Blumen'' focuses on the German landscape. By manipulating small aspects about everyday natural objects, Schorr comments further on the relationships between the German town and the citizens themselves, all while adding in overtones of fantasy.

''Wrestlers''

In 2002, Schorr visited Blairstown, New Jersey, and West Point, New York to photograph their wrestling teams in action. Her goal in capturing these images of vulnerability, struggle, and the pain was to reveal the undiscovered duality of wrestling. While being an undeniably masculine sport, it possesses romantic and feminine elements that push it into the realm of androgyny and gender fluidity. Schorr hopes to compile the photos into an art book titled ''Wrestlers Love America in the future''.

''8 Women''

''8 Women'' was exhibited at the 303 Gallery in 2014, consisting of 14 works of eight women accumulated over the past twenty years. With a combination of headshots, full-body nudes, action poses, and a drawing, Schorr conveys a sense of feminine power that neither objectifies the subjects nor dates the photos. By consistently incorporating elements of fashion photography, Schorr is able to comment on how representation and hyper-sexualization functions in both fashion and feminist culture today.

Publications

* ''Jens f.'' Göttingen: Steidl Mack; London: Thames & Hudson, 2005.. A compilation of photographs of a young boy developing into a man through poses similar to those of Andrew Wyeth's painted Helga. * ''Neighbors = Nachbarn.'' Schorr. Göttingen: Steidl Mack, 2006. . A historical and fictional story told through photographs about a small town in Germany where apparitions reside. She pieces together a tale of her own family tree through "memory, nationalism, war, emigration, and family". * ''Male: From the collection of Vince Aletti.'' Schorr. New York: PPP, 2008. . Photography critic/curator Vince Aletti's amassed collection of work of male bodies with an essay from Schorr, describing how these pieces have influenced her own work and the acceptance of gay men into art history. * ''There I was''. Schorr. Göttingen: Steidl, 2008. . Using her father's and Charlie Astoria Chas Snyder's photos, her own sketches, and vintage car ads, Collier weaves together a story of the young drag racer's death in Vietnam and the complexity of a photograph's perspective. * ''Blumen.'' Schorr. Göttingen: Steidl Mack, 2010 . A second addition to her previous book about the small town in Germany, ''Neighbors''. This focuses less on figures and more on the natural landscape of the village that Schorr has inhabited for the past 13 years. * ''8 Women''. Schorr. London: Mack, 2014. . A collection of her work from the mid-nineties to 2014, focusing on the female's perspective of women "who want to be looked at", like models, musicians, and artists. * ''Collier Schorr: I Blame Jordan.'' Long Island City, NY: MoMA PS1, 2015. . A compilation of photographs taken of model Jordan Barrett for the

MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution located in Court Square in the Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens, New York City. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...

. *''August''. London: Mack, 2022. .

Solo exhibitions

*''The Chase'',

, New York, NY, 1990 *303 Gallery, New York, NY, 1991 *303 Gallery, New York, NY, 1993 *303 Gallery, New York, NY, 1994 *303 Gallery, New York, NY, 1997 *303 Gallery, New York, NY, 1999 * Emily Tsingou Gallery, London, 2000 *303 Gallery, New York, NY, 2001 *303 Gallery, New York, NY, 2004 *''Forests & Fields'', , Karlsruhe, Germany, 2007 *''There I Was'', 303 Gallery, New York, NY, 2007 *''Jens F'',

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA Denver), in Denver, Colorado, was founded in 1996 as the first dedicated home for contemporary art in the city of Denver. For seven years, MCA Denver occupied a renovated fish market in Sakura Square in lower dow ...

, CO, USA, 2008 *''There I Was'', Le Consortium, Dijon, France, 2008 *''Blumen'',

Villa Romana Prize The Villa Romana Prize, german: Villa-Romana-Preis, italic=no, is an art prize awarded by the Deutscher Künstlerbund. It was established in 1905 and is the oldest German art award. The prize consists of a one-year artistic residence in the ...

, Florence, Italy, 2008 *''German Faces'', Berardo Collection (as part of

PHotoEspaña PHotoEspaña, the International Festival of Photography and Visual Arts of Madrid, is a photography forum that began in 1998. The Festival’s program presents work by Spanish and international image-makers. It runs an awards programme with sever ...

), Lisbon, Portugal, 2010 *''Journals & Notebooks'', 303 Gallery, New York, NY, 2010 *''8 Women'', 303 Gallery, New York, NY, 2018

Collections

* Burger Collection, Hong Kong, China * Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy *

Hammer Museum The Hammer Museum, which is affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles, is an art museum and cultural center known for its artist-centric and progressive array of exhibitions and public programs. Founded in 1990 by the entrepreneur- ...

, Los Angeles, CA, USA *

Henry Art Gallery The Henry Art Gallery ("The Henry") is a contemporary art museum located on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington. Located on the west edge of the university's campus along 15th Avenue N.E. in the University District, it wa ...

, Seattle, WA, USA * The

Jewish Museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area. List of Jewish museums Notable Jewish museums include: *Albania ** Solomon Museum, Berat *Australia ** Jewish Mu ...

, New York, NY * The

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

, New York, NY *

North Carolina Museum of Art The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) is an art museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It opened in 1956 as the first major museum collection in the country to be formed by state legislation and funding. Since the initial 1947 appropriation that e ...

, Raleigh, NC, USA * Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL, USA *

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was ...

, San Francisco, CA, USA *

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art The Wadsworth Atheneum is an art museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wadsworth is noted for its collections of European Baroque art, ancient Egyptian and Classical bronzes, French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School lands ...

, Hartford, CT, USA *

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the United States and, t ...

, Minneapolis, MN, USA *

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...

, New YorkCollier Schorr's works

References

External links

* *
Collier Schorr at 303 Gallery

Collier Schorr on ArtForum

Collier Schorr on Yale University School of Art website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schorr, Collier 1963 births Living people American photographers Artists from New York City Lesbian artists Jewish American artists LGBT Jews School of Visual Arts alumni People from Queens, New York American women photographers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century LGBT people 21st-century American women Vanity Fair (magazine) people