August 9, 2006

Contemporary Nudes

The most popular artistic subject for several millennia, the nude has undergone quite a makeover since the Venus of Willendorf. With strippers, amputees, and drugged-out teenagers now entering the field of inspiration, the contemporary nude exposes the perils of modern life as much as its joys. In our interview with photographer Katy Grannan, we learn about her models' choice to disrobe, and we spotlight South Korea's Atta Kim, who puts his living nudes in plastic boxes. Tying the old to the new, we check out a Guggenheim catalogue that pairs Robert Mapplethorpe photographs and 16th-century Mannerist prints. Then, casting an eye beyond the temptations of the flesh, we review shows of Thomas Demand's paper illusions and Jo Jackson's dancing skulls.