The Human Form

The Human Form

Notions of identity, sexuality, voyeurism and performance are explored in The Body Observed at Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich. Presenting over 130 works from Magnum Photos’ archive, the exhibition spans from the 1930s to the present, featuring images that take the human form as their primary subject. A variety of interpretations are on display, many subverting existing codes of representation to offer a new visual language.

USA. Tunbridge, Vermont. 1975. New Girl. © Susan Meiselas/Magnum Photos

Highlights include works from Susan Meiselas’ celebrated Carnival Strippers series, which are on view alongside Alec Soth’s Niagara – a body of work documenting the complexities of modern love, set against the backdrop of one of America’s best-known honeymoon destinations. Tapping into the history of art, Alessandra Sanguinetti’s Ophelias respond to John Everett Millais’ classic painting, whilst Philippe Halsman’s Dalí Atomicus is at once playful and iconic.

The exhibitions runs 23 March-30 June. Find out more here.

Lead image: GREECE. Athens. Circa 1936. Young man with laurel over the eyes. © Herbert List/Magnum Photos